UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
LOS  ANGELES 


Cbe  Great  Psychological  Crime 


The  Destructive  Principle  of   Nature 
In  Individual  Life. 


Editor 
FLORENCE     HUNTLEY 

Author  of 

Harmonics  of  Evolution,  Vol.  I. 

and 
The  Dream  Child 


Harmonic  Series 
Vol.  II. 


Chicago 

INDO-AMERICAN  BOOK  CO. 

[Not  rncorporated] 

1903 


Che  Great  pspcDoloskal  crime 

Tn  three  Parts 


Modern  Hypnotism 

Spiritual  Mediumship 

Retributive  Justice 


Part  T— modem  hypnotism 

CHAPTERS 

Psychological  Crime  I  •/ 

New  Definitions   -. II  -^ 

Pertinent  Admissions   Ill 

What  Is  Hypnotism  ?    IV  ^ 

The  Deadly  Parallel   V 

Man  and  His  Two  Organisms  - VI 

Hypnotism  and  the  Three  Brains  VII 

Physiology  and  Pathology  of  Hypnotism  VIII  *** 

"Auto-Hypnotism" — A   Misnomer    IX 

"Suggestion" — A  Lexicological  Libel   , X 

Independent  Suggestion — A  Fact  XI    - 

Does  Hypnotism  Cure  ?  XII  ^ 

A  Violation  of  Natural  Law  XIII 

True  Suggestion  and  Therapeutic  Faith   XIV 

Post-Mortem  Hypnotism XV 

What  of  the  Hypnotist?  XVI 

Part  TT    Spiritual  mediumsbip 

CHAPTERS 

A  Risk  and  a  Duty  I 

Other  Definitions  II 

Significant  Admissions Ill 

Facts  Demonstrated   IV 

Spiritual  Mediumship  Analyzed  and  Classified V 

The  Principle  Involved   VI 

"Automatic  Physical  Mediumship"  Impossible VII 


CONTENTS 

Neither  a  "Gift"  Nor  a  "Power" VIII 

The  Destructive  Principle  in  Operation  IX 

Mediumship  and  Morality X 

Mediumship  and  Martyrdom  XI 

Mediumship  and  "Affinity"  XII 

Mediumship  and  Emotionalism  XIII 

Mediums  and  Their  Motives XIV 

Mediumship  and  Insanity XV 

Part  TTT— Retributive  Justice 

CHAPTERS 

The  Genesis  of  "Hell"  I 

The  Way  of  Death '. II 

In  Perspective  Ill 

Individual  Immortality  IV 

On  What  It  Depends  V 

Self-Control,  the  Application  VI 

The  Line  of  Despair  and  the  Powers  of  Darkness VII 

Tne  Law  of  Spiritual  Gravity VIII 

Admonitions  and  Suggestions   IX 

Supplement-theories  of  "Che  Ulise  men" 

The  Genesis  of  Dogma 

Topics 

Facts  and  Theories. 
Differences  and  Distinctions. 
Transmigration.- 
Metempsychosis. 
Transubstantiation. 
Reincarnation. 
The  Missing  Link. 
Evolution. 

Conditional  Immortality. 
Inherent  Immortality. 
Psychical  Reinvestiture. 
The  "Wages  of  Sin." 
The  "Second  Death." 
Individual  Extinction. 
Editor's  Postscript 


OK  Great  psychological  Crime 


Part  T 


Modern  Hypnotism 


CHAPTER    I. 


PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME. 


i.     A  Psychological  Crime  is  a  crime  against  the  intelli- 
gent Soul  or  essential  Entity  of  Man. 


2.  A  Great  Psychological  Crime  is  such  a  crime  against 
the  intelligent  Soul  of  Man  as  deprives  it  of  any  of  the 
inalienable  rights,  privileges,  benefits,  powers  or  possibilities 
with  which  God  or  Nature  has  invested  it. 


3.  THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME  is  that  crime 
against  the  intelligent  Soul  or  essential  Entity  of  Man  which 
constitutes  the  central  theme  of  this  volume,  wherein  it  is  de- 
fined, analyzed,  illustrated  and  elucidated. 


s  THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

CHAPTER  II. 

NEW  DEFINITIONS. 

A  work  of  science  or  philosophy,  to  be  of  value,  must  be 
free  from  ambiguity,  and  of  the  utmost  exactness  in  its  ter- 
minology. 

No  more  difficult  task  is  laid  upon  a  writer  than  that  he 
shall  reach  a  satisfactory  standard  in  either  of  these  respects. 

The  most  that  will  here  be  attempted  is  to  approach  such 
a  standard  as  closely  as  may  be  possible  under  all  the  cir- 
cumstances, and  then  rely  upon  the  intelligence  and  good 
conscience  of  the  reader  to  catch  the  real  intent  wherever 
the  expression  or  the  terminology  may  prove  to  be  at  fault. 

To  accomplish  the  purpose  of  this  work  in  the  fullest 
measure  possible  it  is  necessary  that  the  exact  meaning  of 
certain  terms  be  specifically  defined  at  the  outset,  as  they 
are  hereinafter  to  be  employed  and  understood.  This  is  espe- 
cially important,  for  the  reason  that  through  the  indiscrimi- 
nate manner  in  wkich  writers  have  hitherto  employed  them 
they  have  become  involved  in  such  ambiguity  as  to  entirely 
destroy  their  scientific  value. 

For  the  purpose  of  this  work,  therefore,  special  attention 
is  called  to  the  following  definitions: 

HYPNOTIST. — A  person  in  the  physical  body  who  volun- 
tarily controls  the  will,  voluntary  powers  and  sensory  organ- 
ism of  another  physically  embodied  person. 

It  will  be  observed  that  this  definition  has  reference  to  a 
certain  relation  existing  between  physically  embodied  persons 
only;  that  is,  between  human  beings.  Attention  is  called  to 
this  particular  limitation,  for  the  reason  that  upon  it  depends 
an  important  distinction  between  a  "hypnotist"  and  a  "con- 
trol," as  the  latter  is  defined  in  Part  II  of  this  volume. 

SUBJECT. — A  physically  embodied  person  whose  will,  vol- 
untary powers  and  sensory  organism  are  under  the  domina- 
tion and  subject  to  the  control  of  a  hypnotist. 

HYPNOTISM. — The  process  by  and  through  which  a  hyp- 
notist obtains,  holds  and  exercises  control  of  the  will,  volun- 


NEW  DEFINITIONS 


tary  powers  and  sensory  organism  of  his  subject.  Also  the 
psychic  relation  which  exists  between  the  two  parties  during 
the  continuance  of  the  hypnotic  process. 

HYPNOTIC  "SUGGESTION." — A  "suggestion" — so-called — 
made  by  a  hypnotist  to  his  subject  while  the  latter  is  under 
the  hypnotic  control  of  the  former. 

INDEPENDENT  SUGGESTION. — A  suggestion  made  by  one 
person  to  another  while  both  are  in  full  and  complete  control 
of  their  own  voluntary  powers  and  rational  faculties ;  that  is, 
while  neither  is  under  hypnotic  control.  In  this  case  each 
person  acts  independently  and  of  his  own  free  will. 

TELEPATHIC  SUGGESTION. — Independent  suggestion  made 
by  one  person  to  another  by  mental  processes  alone,  without 
the  aid  of  the  usual  physical  means  of  communication. 

As  this  term  may  be  employed  in  contradistinction  to  the 
term  hypnotic  "suggestion,"  it  is  important  to  note  that  tel- 
epathic suggestion  is  independent,  while  hypnotic  "suggestion" 
is  not. 

MAGIC. — The  individual  exercise  and  use  of  the  natural 
powers  of  the  body,  spirit  and  soul  in  controlling  and  apply- 
ing the  forces,  activities  and  processes  of  Nature. 

WHITE  MAGIC. — The  right  individual  exercise  and  use  of 
the  natural  powers  of  the  body,  spirit  and  soul  in  controlling 
and  applying  the  forces,  activities  and  processes  of  Nature  in 
such  manner  as  to  supplement  and  conform  to  Nature's  Con- 
structive Principle. 

BLACK  MAGIC. — The  wrong  individual  exercise  and  use 
of  the  natural  powers  of  the  body,  spirit  and  soul,  in  con- 
trolling and  applying  the  forces,  activities  and  processes  of 
Nature  in  such  manner  as  to  supplement  and  conform  to 
Nature's  Destructive  Principle. 

In  the  framing  of  these  definitions  no  attempt  has  been 
made  to  conform  to  the  specific  limitations  of  any  lexicog- 
rapher or  author.  There  is  a  good  and  valid  reason  for  this 
seeming  repudiation  of  established  authorities.  It  will  be 
found  in  the  following  brief  explanation : 

In  the  discussion  and  consideration  of  the  particular  sub- 
jects in  which  these  terms  are  of  specific  importance,  writers, 


10         THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

more  especially  of  the  modern  schools,  seem  to  have  become 
confused.  By  reference  to  their  writings  it  will  be  found 
that  the  same  term  is  often  employed  to  express  either  a 
diametrically  opposite  or  a  wholly  different  meaning.  The 
remarkable  extent  to  which  this  ambiguous  use  of  terms  has 
been  carried  in  recent  writings  has  done  much  to  envelop  the 
whole  subject  of  psychological  and  metaphysical  study  and 
research  in  a  dense  cloud  of  mysticism. 

The  present  intent,  therefore,  is  to  take  these  particular 
words  out  from  their  environment  of  uncertainty  and  give 
to  them  specific  and  definite  meanings  for  the  purposes  of 
this  particular  work.  We  are,  therefore,  not  concerned  with 
the  objections  or  criticisms  which  may,  and  very  likely  will, 
be  volunteered  by  other  writers,  nor  does  it  appear  either 
necessary  or  desirable  to  enter  the  field  of  controversy  for 
the  purpose  of  justifying  the  lexicology  upon  which  these 
definitions  are  based.  It  is  sufficient  if  the  reader  alone  shall 
understand  them.  It  is  assumed  that,  whatever  may  be  his 
individual  views  upon  the  various  phases  of  the  subject  to  be 
considered,  he  is  nevertheless  honest  in  his  desire  to  under- 
stand the  exact  meaning  and  intent  of  the  writer. 

In  order  that  he  may  be  successful  in  this  undertaking, 
he  is  therefore  asked,  for  the  purposes  of  this  particular 
work,  to  accept  these  definitions  without  qualification. 


PERTINENT  ADMISSIONS  11 


CHAPTER    III. 


PERTINENT  ADMISSIONS. 

A  judge  before  whom  a  cause  is  to  be  tried  at  court  is 
always  pleased  if  opposing  counsel  will  come  together  and 
submit  to  him  what  is  known  in  law  as  an  agreed  statement 
of  facts.  This  saves  the  time,  labor  and  energy  of  the  court 
and  counsel  which  would  otherwise  be  consumed  in  impan- 
eling a  jury,  examining  witnesses,  taking  testimony,  eliminat- 
ing from  the  record  that  which  is  irrelevant,  immaterial  and 
incompetent,  and  sifting  out  the  facts  which  have  a  legitimate 
and  proper  bearing  upon  the  subject  matter  of  the  case  under 
consideration.  This  leaves  nothing  to  be  done  but  determine 
what  is  the  law  that  covers  the  particular  facts  agreed  upon. 

In  the  matter  here  to  be  adjudicated  it  is  desirable,  as 
far  as  may  be  possible,  that  the  reader  occupy  the  position 
of  the  court.  Even  though  he  may,  perchance,  be  prejudiced 
in  favor  of  or  against  one  side  or  the  other,  this  fact  will 
not  disqualify  him,  as  it  might  in  a  trial  at  court.  Indeed, 
the  ethics  to  be  observed  in  the  present  instance  are  so  free 
from  restrictions  that  he  may,  without  offense  or  impropriety, 
act  as  judge  and  opposing  counsel  at  the  same  time. 

In  any  event,  it  is  here  agreed  in  advance  that  whatever 
may  be  his  present  convictions  or  prejudices,  no  motion  will 
be  made  for  a  change  of  venue  nor  appeal  taken  from  his  de- 
cision. It  is  fair  to  assume  that  his  honesty  and  love  of 
justice  will  prompt  him  to  render  his  decision  in  strict  con- 
formity with  the  law  and  the  facts,  and  this  is  all  that  could 
be  asked  of  the  most  open-minded  and  unbiased  judge. 

In  accordance  with  the  foregoing  suggestions  the  follow- 
ing admissions  are  offered  as  a  part  of  the  record  upon  which 
the  questions  hereinafter  raised  are  to  be  tried  and  deter- 
mined. They  are  alleged  by  all  hypnotists  to  be  facts,  and  for 
the  purpose  of  avoiding  all  ^unnecessary  controversy  concern- 
ing them  it  is  preferred  to  here  admit  them  as  such.  It  then 
but  remains  to  determine  the  law  applicable  to  these  par- 
ticular facts : 


12         THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

1.  It  is  admitted  that  hypnotism  is  a  fact. 

2.  It  is  admitted  that  there  are  numerous  methods  or 
processes  by  means  of  which  it  is  possible  for  a  hypnotist  to 
obtain    control    of   the    will,    voluntary    powers    and    sensory 
organism^oTTiis~subject. 

3.  It  is  admitted  that  a  hypnotist  who  thus  has  control 
of  his  subject  can,  under  certain  conditions,  produce  a  very 
wide  range  of  phenomena    which    are  usually   classified   as 
hypnotic. 

4.  It  is  admitted  that  through  the  effects  of  hypnotism 
a  subject  may,  for  the  time  being,  be  made  unconscious  of 
physical  pain.     This  fact  is  known  and  quite  generally  ac- 
knowledged.     It   has   been   often   demonstrated    in    medical 
schools,     colleges,     clinics     and     hospitals     throughout     the 
country. 

5.  It  is  admitted   that  very  painful   surgical  operations 
may  be  performed  upon  hypnotized  subjects  without  conscious 
physical  suffering.    This  has  been  demonstrated  so  often  that 
it  has  come  to  be  quite  generally  known  and  acknowledged. 

6.  It  is  admitted  that  by  hypnotic  "suggestion,"  so-called, 
a  subject  may  be   temporarily  relieved   from  some  physical 
disabilities,  and  that  some  habits  of  long  standing  may  be 
thus  temporarily  overcome. 

7.  It  is  admitted  that  a  very  large  percentage  of  men, 
women  and  children  everywhere  might,  under  favorable  coii- 
ditions  therefor,  be  made  subjects  of  hypnotic  control. 

8.  It  is  admitted  that  a  very  large  percentage  of  men, 
women    and    children    would   be   able,   with    instruction   and 
practice,  to  develop  some  degree  of  hypnotic  power. 

9.  It  is  admitted  that  hypnotic  power  may  be  so  used 
as  to  command  wealth,   luxury,  notoriety  and   the  subserv- 
iency of  many  people.     This  has  been  demonstrated  all  too 
often,  and  the  demonstrations  still  continue. 

10.  It   is  admitted  that  the  practice  of  hypnotism  is  a 
most  fascinating  diversion,  and  can  be  made  to  afford  much 
interest  and  amusement  to  those  who  are  without  conscience, 
and  those  who  are  ignorant  of  the  laws,  principles,  forces, 
activities  and  processes  involved. 


PERTINENT  ADMISSIONS 13 

11.  It  is  admitted  that  the  mischievous  and  destructive 
effects  of  hypnotic  control  do  not  generally  manifest  them- 
selves at  once  to  the  observer  nor  to  the  subject  himself. 

12.  It   is  admitted  that  there  are   some  hypnotists  who 
are  honest,  and  who  would  not  knowingly  and  intentionally 
engage   in   any   practice   which    does   violence   to  a   primary 
and  fundamental  law  of  individual  life,  growth  and  develop- 
ment. 

13.  It  is  admitted  that  much  has  been  written  by  stu- 
dents, investigators,  hypnotists  and  men  of  professional  stand- 
ing, on  the  general  subject  of  hypnotism,  which  is  at  variance 
with  the  position  taken  in  this  work. 

The  impression  made  by  these  admissions  will  very  largely 
depend  upon  the  character  of  the  intelligence  to  which  they 
are  submitted,  the  nature  and  scope  of  his  personal  experi- 
ences, and  the  measure,  liberality  and  value  of  his  educa- 
tional training. 

If  he  should  chance  to  be  a  professional  hypnotist,  or  a 
sympathetic  student  of  hypnotism,  or  a  mere  believer  in  the 
merit  of  the  hypnotic  process,  he  might,  perhaps,  obtain  the 
impression  that  his  position  is  not  only  admitted,  but  also 
justified  and  approved.  If  so,  he  is  asked  to  follow  the  sub- 
ject matter  through  to  the  end  before  he  renders  his  final 
decision  and  judgment. 

If  a  lawyer,  or  any  other  person  acquainted  with  the  logi- 
cal determination  of  difficult  problems,  he  cannot  fail  to  see 
that  these  admissions  furnish  the  only  substantial  basis  upon 
which  the  errors,  mistakes,  fallacies  and  misconceptions  of 
hypnotism  may  be  successfully  disclosed  and  corrected. 

Whoever  the  reader  may  be,  by  whatever  scientific  or 
philosophic  convictions  he  may  be  influenced,  he  cannot  fail 
to  understand  and  appreciate  the  following  facts,  viz. : 

1.  There  is  no  intention,  desire  nor  disposition  on  the 
part  of  the  writer  to  deny,  ignore,  evade  or  minimize  any 
of  the  relevant  and  material  facts  which  are  in  any  manner 
pertinent  to  the  subject  under  consideration. 

2.  That  an  honest  and  earnest  effort  will  be   made  to 
deal   with  the  subject  in  a  fair  and  impartial  manner,  and 


14         THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

with  courteous  consideration  for  the  sensibilities  of  all  those 
who  may  hold  opinions,  beliefs,  convictions  or  prejudices  at 
variance  with  the  results  hereinafter  obtained. 

It  is  hoped  that  Part  I  of  this  volume  will  command  the 
especial  attention  and  thoughtful  consideration  of  physicians 
and  surgeons,  hypnotists  and  hypnotic  students  and  subjects, 
investigators  and  students  of  psychic  phenomena,  and  all 
liberal  minded  and  intelligent  students  and  thinkers  who  are 
not  bound  by  the  subtle  power  of  scientific  bigotry,  dogmat- 
ism, prejudice  or  personal  interest. 


WHAT  IS  HYPNOTISM?  15 


CHAPTER    IV. 


WHAT  Is  HYPNOTISM  ? 

Hypnotism  is  the  process  by  and  through  which  one  per- 
son—called a  hypnotist — obtains,  holds  and  exercises  control 
of  the  will,  voluntary  powers  and  sensory  organism  of  an- 
other person — called  a  subject.  It  also  includes  the  psychic 
relation  which  exists  between  the  two  persons  during  the 
continuance  of  the  hypnotic  process. 

It  is  well  understood  in  advance  that  this  definition  will 
hardly  meet  the  approval  of  every  hypnotist  or  writer  upon 
the  subject,  for  reasons  which  will  become  more  apparent  as 
we  proceed.  In  anticipation  of  the  objections  which  are  likely 
to  be  offered  against  it  a  clear  analysis  of  its  exact  meaning 
will  here  be  given.  This  is  deemed  advisable  for  the  reason 
that  it  is  of  first  importance  to  fix  in  mind  the  exact  scope, 
as  well  as  the  expressed  limitations  of  the  definition,  before 
proceeding  to  a  consideration  of  the  subject  in  chief. 

The  definition  involves  the  following  propositions,  viz. : 

1.  A  hypnotist  controls  the  Will  (as  well  as  the  volun- 
tary powers  and  sensory  organism)  of  his  subject  during  the. 
continuance  of  the  hypnotic  process. 

2.  Within  the  meaning  of  the  definition  hypnotism  in- 
volves a  relationship  between  at  least  two  persons. 

3.  One  of  these  persons  is  in  a  state  of  subjection  to  the 
Will  of  the  other.     Therefore  one  dominates  or  controls  and 
the  other  is  dominated  or  controlled. 

4.  The    limitations    of    the    definition    entirely    exclude 
what   is   commonly   known   as   "Auto-Hypnotism,"   or   "Self- 
Hypnotism."     This  particular  subject  will  be  considered  in 
another  chapter. 

It  will  be  observed  from  the  foregoing  analysis  of  the 
definition  that  no  attempt  is  here  made  to  conform  to  any  of 
the  generally  accepted  theories  of  hypnotism  heretofore  pro- 
mulgated by  our  western  writers  and  acknowledged  authori- 
ties. The  reader  is  entitled  to  know  the  reason  for  this 
seeming  disregard  of  "authority"  in  a  matter  of  such  vital 


10         THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

importance.  It  is  equally  due  the  writer  that  he  shall  not  be 
subject  to  the  charge  of  discourtesy  in  the  treatment  of  his 
theme. 

In  view  of  all  the  interests  involved,  the  following  brief 
explanation  would  seem  to  be  both  pertinent  and  necessary: 

1.  "Hypnotism"  is  a  word  of  comparatively  modern  ori- 
gin.    It  was  first  employed  by  Dr.  Braid,  an  eminent  English 
author  and  student  of  psychic  phenomena.     It  seems  to  have 
been  adopted  by  him  for  the  express  purpose  of  marking  a 
distinction  between  his  own  theory  and  that  of  Mesmer,  with 
whom  he  disagreed. 

Those  who  are  familiar  with  the  subject  are  already  aware 
that  Mesmer  advocated  what  is  commonly  known  as  the 
"Magnetic"  theory.  He  endeavored  to  establish  as  a  scien- 
tific fact  that  magnetism  is  at  the  basis  of  all  phenomena 
produced  under  the  process  which  he  invoked,  and  which 
afterwards  came  to  be  known  as  "Mesmerism."  All  his 
methods  of  operation,  both  in  the  matter  of  inducing  the 
Mesmeric  sleep  and  in  the  production  of  psychic  phenomena, 
were  made  to  conform  to  his  theory  of  magnetism. 

Dr.  Braid,  however,  discovered  that  the  condition  of  arti- 
ficial sleep  may  be  induced  by  simply  causing  the  subject  to 
gaze  steadily  at  a  bright  object,  without  employing  any  of 
the  magnetic  methods  of  Mesmer.  He  therefore  concluded 
that  Mesmer  was  mistaken  in  assuming  that  magnetism  is  at 
the  basis  of  the  process,  or,  in  fact,  had  anything  to  do  with 
it.  In  order  to  give  to  his  own  theory  a  name  which  should 
properly  distinguish  it  from  the  magnetic  theory  of  Mesmer; 
he  adopted  the  term  "Hypnotism."  From  that  time  to  the 
present  the  word  has  been  in  common  use,  and  is  now  the 
word  most  generally  employed  by  all  the  leading  authorities. 

2.  Since  the  time  of  Dr.  Braid,  however,  a  flood  of  light 
has  been  thrown  upon  the  subject  by  the  investigations  which 
have  been  carried  on  by  eminent  men  of  science  in  both  this 
country  and  Europe.     Many  of  the  facts  have  been  carefully 
classified  in  the  hope  of  discovering  a  fundamental  principle 
underlying  all  phenomena  of  a  psychic  nature. 

Quite  independently,  however,  it  has  been  known  by  the 


WHAT  IS  HYPNOTISM? 17 

School  of  Natural  Science  for  many  centuries  that  all  such 
phenomena,  under  whatever  name 'designated,  naturally  divide 
themselves  irlto  two  classes,  upon  what  may  be  appropriately 
termed  the  principle  of  causation. 

The  first  of  these  two  classes  includes  all  such  phenomena 
which  are  produced  while  the  will  of  the  subject  is  under 
control  of  an  operator  whom  we  will  name,  in  accordance 
with  the  definition,  a  hypnotist. 

The  second  class  is  confined  to  those  which  occur  inde- 
pendently of  hypnotic  control. 

The  first  class  falls  strictly  within  the  meaning  of  the 
definition  at  the  head  of  this  chapter,  while  the  second  is 
entirely  excluded.  And  this  is  the  exact  purpose  of  the  defini- 
tion. 

The  distinction  is  of  the  most  vital  importance.  It  goes 
to  the  very  essence  of  the  subject,  and  involves  a  principle 
which  lies  at  the  foundation  of  all  ethics,  as  well  as  of  life 
itself. 

The  vital  necessity  for  this  distinction  will  be  better  under- 
stood and  more  fully  appreciated  when  it  is  recalled  that  our 
modern  writers  and  authorities  generally  seem  to  have  over- 
looked it  entirely,  or  noted  it  in  such  manner  as  to  suggest 
its  lack  of  importance. 

3.  The  term  "Hypnotism,"  by  the  indiscriminate  manner 
in  which  it  has  been  employed,  has  been  made  to  include 
both  classes  of  phenomena,  as  well  as  the  various  processes 
by  and  through  which  they  are  produced.  This  entire  lack  of 
scientific  discrimination  is  more  conspicuously  noticeable  in 
the  writings  of  our  modern  western  authorities. 

It  must  be  apparent  to  every  intelligent  student  whose 
attention  is  called  to  it  that  such  a  lack  of  discrimination  is 
both  unscientific  and  unfortunate.  Inde£d4a-lh>e  first  prerequi- 
site of  all  progressive  work  in  the  field  of  exact  science  is 
a  'terminology  free  from  ambiguity.  Without  this  confusion 
and  chaos  are  inevitable.  —  _ 

A  single  illustration  will  be  sufficient.  Suppose,  for  in- 
stance, that  instead  of  the  words  "positive"  and  "negative," 
with  meanings  exactly  opposite,  our  scientists  had  employed 


18        THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

but  the  one  word  "positive,"  to  express  either  meaning1  or 
both,  what  would  have  been  the  effect  upon  the  science  of 
our  age? 

Or,  suppose  we  employed  to-day  but  a  single  term  to 
signify  "fact,"  "fiction,"  "truth,"  "falsehood" ;  is  there  anyone 
who  could  possibly  hold  that  such  a  substitution  would  be 
admissible? 

Most  assuredly  not.  Such  a  course  would  introduce  into 
our  language  confusion,  ambiguity  and  contradiction  to  such 
an  extent  as  to  make  scientific  expression  an  impossibility, 
and  destroy  the  foundation  upon  which  rests  all  our  progress 
in  both  ethics  and  religion. 

The  logic  of  the  situation  is  beyond  all  question.  The 
word  "Hypnotism"  cannot,  with  propriety,  be  employed  to 
define  two  separate,  distinct  and  radically  unlike  processes. 
Neither  can  it  be  made  properly  to  cover  two  different  classes 
of  phenomena  which  are  the  results  of  wholly  different 
causes.  Any  attempt  to  do  so  must  necessarily  result  in  still 
further  intensifying  the  mysticism  in  which  this  subject  has 
already  become  involved. 

The  question  then  arises  as  to  the  propriety  of  using  the 
word  at  alTT  That  is  to  say,  has  it  become  so  irrevocably  in- 
volved in  uncertainty  and  confusion  as  to  destroy  its  avail- 
ability or  usefulness  as  a  scientific  term  in  the  future?  This 
is  indeed  an  important  question.  Any  view  we  may  take  of 
it  discovers  difficulties  in  our  way.  We  can  scarcely  hope 
to  avoid  them  entirely.  Our  only  alternative,  therefore,  is 
to  overcome  them  as  far  as  may  be  possible. 

In  the  accomplishment  of  this  result  two  different  methods 
of  procedure  suggest  themselves,  viz.: 

1.  With  perfect  consistency  we  might  eliminate  the  word 
entirely,  upon  the  theory  that  its  past  promiscuous  and  un« 
fortunate    associations    wholly    unfit    it    for    service    in    the 
future.     In  this  event,  however,  it  would  then  become  neces- 
sary to  invent  or  adopt  other  terms  and  give  to  them  definite 
scientific  meanings.     This  is  never  desirable  so  long  as  it  is 
possible  to  avoid  such  a  course. 

2.  On  the  other  hand,  we  might  continue  to  employ  the 


WHAT  IS  HYPNOTISM? 19 

term,  but  in  so  doing  limit  its  meaning  in  such  manner  and 
to  such  extent  as  to  divest  it  of  all  its  present  elements  of 
ambiguity  and  give  to  it  an  exact  and  scientific  significance. 

This  latter  method  would  appear  to  be  the  least  objection- 
able, all  things  duly  considered,  and  has  therefore  been 
adopted.  The  term  will  therefore  be  employed  in  this  work 
and  its  meaning  will  be  limited  to  the  process  and  the  rela- 
tion involved  in  the  definition  at  the  beginning  of  this  chap- 
ter. It  is  therefore  important  that  special  note  be  taken  of 
the  limitations  referred  to.  The  value  and  importance  of 
this  suggestion  will  soon  become  apparent. 

It  is  a  fact,  with  which  every  student  who  is  at  all 
familiar  with  the  literature  of  the  subject  is  acquainted,  that 
the  leading  exponents  of  hypnotism  are  widely  at  variance 
upon  almost  every  essential  phase  of  the  subject.  They  dis- 
agree in  their  methods  of  "inducing"  the  hypnotic  state  or 
condition.  They  differ  widely  in  their  theories  as  to  the 
nature  of  the  process  in  operation  during  the  continuance  of 
the  hypnotic  state.  They  are  at  variance  as  to  the  forces' 
employed  in  hypnotic  processes.  They  cannot  agree  as  to 
the  nature  of  the  relation  which  exists  between  the  hypnotist 
and  his  subject  during  the  continuance  of  the  hypnotic  state 
or  condition.  They  contradict  each  other  in  their  efforts  to 
define  the  hypnotic  process.  And  finally,  they  disagree  as 
to  the  natural  results  of  hypnotism  upon  the  subject. 

Indeed,  it  would  appear  that  they  unanimously  agree  in 
but  a  single  phase  of  the  subject,  namely,  in  ignoring  the 
fundamental  principle  of  individual  life  which  underlies  the 
entire  problem. 

This  statement  of  their  inharmonious  views  and  theories 
upon  the  basic  principles  of  the  subject  is  not  made  in  the 
spirit  of  criticism.  On  the  contrary,  this  general  confusion 
and  conflict  of  opinion  is  interpreted  as  a  most  healthful  in- 
dication of  future  possibilities.  It  very  strongly  indicates  the 
spirit  of  independence  in  which  each  investigator  has  ap- 
proached his  subject,  and  the  strength  of  purpose  with  which 
he  has  made  his  investigations.  It  indicates  that  each  one 
has  entered  upon  his  task  fearlessly,  unfettered  by  profes- 


20         THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

sional  ethics  and  free  from  the  prejudices  of  conventional 
thought.  It  is  to  be  accepted  as  a  guaranty  that  each  has 
studied  such  facts  as  he  has  been  able  to  discover,  and  has 
drawn  his  independent  conclusions  from  them.  If  his  deduc- 
tions have  been  at  variance  with  those  of  his  fellows,  he  has 
declared  them  nevertheless  and  has  done  his  best  to  maintain 
them. 

In  the  midst  %of  this  general  disagreement  and  the  spirit 
of  controversy  and  criticism  which  it  has  developed,  whoever 
shall  venture  to  enter  the  arena  must  be  prepared  to  receive 
or  parry  the  blows  and  thrusts  of  many  assailants.  For,  what- 
ever attitude  he  may  assume,  it  is  safe  to  predict  that  he  will 
be  compelled  either  to  defend  himself  or  retreat. 

And  so  it  is  anticipated  that  the  hosts  who  have  broken 
spears  and  javelins  and  lances  over  each  other's  heads  in 
the  battle  royal  which  they  have  waged  among  themselves 
will  declare  an  armistice  for  the  express  purpose  of  punish- 
ing anyone  who  may  venture  to  invade  the  field  or  enter  the 
lists  from  a  new  quarter. 

In  other  words,  it  is  here  anticipated  that  the  definition 
of  hypnotism  at  the  beginning  of  this  chapter  will  be  re- 
sented by  almost  every  professional  hypnotist  and  writer 
upon  the  subject  of  hypnotism  throughout  the  country  who 
shall  give  this  work  the  courtesy  of  a  thoughtful  reading. 
The  limitations  which  have  been  set  about  the  word,  as  'it  is 
there  defined,  raise  a  vital  issue  with  many  of  the  leading 
western  authorities  upon  the  subject.  This  issue  is  raised 
with  full  knowledge  of  its  importance,  and  with  the  delib- 
erate purpose  of  pressing  it  to  trial  and  final  judgment  before 
the  bar  of  the  reader's  best  intelligence. 

It  is  maintained  by  some  of  the  leading  authorities  in  our 
own  country,  as  well  as  in  Europe,  that  the  relation  between 
hypnotist  and  subject  does  not  involve  a  question  of  either 
domination  on  the  part  of  the  hypnotist  or  subjection  on  the 
part  of  the  subject.  By  these  writers  it  is  held  that  the  will 
and  voluntary  powers  of  the  subject  are  never,  at  any  time, 
under  control  of  the  hypnotist. 

The  direct  question  to  be  considered,  therefore,  is  whether 


• WHAT  IS  HYPNOTISM? 21 

a  hypnotist,   under  any   circumstances,   controls   the   will  or 
voluntary  powers  of  his  subject. 

By  reference  back  to  the  definition  and  to  the  analysis 
which  follows  thereafter,  it  will  be  observed  that  there  is  no 
uncertainty  as  to  the  position  here  taken.  The  purpose  of 
the  definition  is,  in  truth,  to  raise  this  issue  as  directly  as 
may  be  possible.  For  this  reason  it  is  here  again  declared 
without  qualification  that  a  hypnotist  does  control  the  will 
and  voluntary  powers  of  his  subject  during  the  continuance 
of  the  hypnotic  relation  established  between  them.  It  is  at 
the  same  time  admitted  that  this  declaration  raises  a  vital 
issue  which  goes  to  the  very  essence  of  the  subject  under 
consideration. 

The  importance  of  the  issue  here  defined  is  such  that  its 
presentation  is  reserved  for  another  chapter. 


22         THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

CHAPTER   V. 


THE  DEADLY  PARALLEL. 

Does  a  hypnotist  control  the  will  or  voluntary  powers  of 
his  subject  during  the  continuance  of  the  hypnotic  relation? 

Upon  the  results  of  absolute,  scientific  demonstration  it  is 
again  declared  that  he  does. 

Moreover,  in  so  far  only  as  this  is  true  does  hypnotism 
exist  at  any  time.  In  just  so  far  as  the  will  or  voluntary 
power  of  the  subject  is  dominated  or  controlled  by  the  hypno- 
tist, in  just  that  degree  is  the  process  invoked  and  the  rela- 
tion established  hypnotic  in  character.  And  conversely,  in 
just  so  far  as  the  will  or  voluntary  power  of  an  individual 
is  under  his  own  independent  control,  to  that  degree  is  he 
free  from  hypnotic  control. 

As  previously  stated,  the  School  of  Natural  Science  has 
demonstrated  the  truth  of  the  foregoing  declarations  in  such 
manner  as  to  leave  not  the  least  possible  room  for  doubt  or 
uncertainty.  It  would  therefore  be  entirely  admissible  to 
rest  the  case  upon  their  demonstration  and  throw  the  burden 
of  proof  upon  whomsoever  may  desire  to  controvert  it. 

This  position  is  not  only  admissible,  but  would  be  equally 
desirable  if  it  were  not  for  the  possibility,  as  well  as  the 
probability,  that  there  may  be  interested  parties  who  are  not 
prepared  to  accept  the  authority  of  this  School  as  sufficient 
or  its  demonstrations  as  scientifically  conclusive.  To  such 
as  these  other  evidence  would  be  necessary.  For  the  benefit 
of  any  who  may,  perchance,  make  such  a  demand,  other  evi- 
dence will  be  furnished  of  such  a  character  as  to  meet  the 
requirements  of  the  most  hostile  opponent  or  incredulous 
skeptic. 

Under  the  law  of  evidence  it  is  held  that  the  "admissions 
of  a  party  against  his  own  interests"  are  to  be  regarded  as 
evidence  of  the  highest  character.  In  practice  such  evidence 
is  generally  considered  to  be  as  nearly  conclusive  as  any 
that  can  be  adduced. 

For  illustration :    Suppose  a  party  is  on  trial  charged  with 


THE  DEADLY  PARALLEL 23 

the  commission  of  some  public  offense.  At  the  trial  of  the 
case  he  is  placed  on  the  witness  stand  and  of  his  own  voli- 
tion admits  that  the  charge  against  him  is  true.  In  such  case 
his  free  and  voluntary  admission  is  held  to  be  evidence  of 
the  strongest  possible  character. 

This  is  precisely  the  character  of  evidence  to  be  intro- 
duced upon  the  question  here  at  issue.  Various  eminent  hyp- 
notists all  over  the  world  have  gone  upon  the  witness  stand  in 
the  trial  of  this  question,  and  have  there  voluntarily  offered 
their  testimony  to  the  world  for  what  it  is  worth.  They  have 
testified  from  the  standpoint  of  "parties  in  interest." 

They  have  been  publicly  accused  of  the  serious  offense  of 
practicing  a  profession  and  invoking  processes  which'  in- 
volve the  control  of  the  will  or  voluntary  powers  of  their  sub- 
jects. If  this  accusation  is  sustained  it  means  slavery  of 
the  most  unhappy  character.  The  human  soul  and  human 
reason  protest  against  slavery.  Public  conscience  condemns 
it.  Every  moral  sentiment  or  lofty  emotion  resents  it.  There- 
fore these  men  stand  before  the  world  charged  with  the 
offense  of  practicing  an  art  which  has  for  its  purpose  the 
enslavement  of  the  souls  of  their  fellow-men.  But  the  crime 
of  which  they  stand  accused  before  the  bar  of  public  con- 
science is  not  that  of  mere  physical  slavery.  It  is  the  slavery 
of  the  human  soul. 

It  has  been  necessary  for  them  to  defend  themselves.  The 
only  defense  possible  in  a  case  of  this  nature  is  a  general 
denial  of  the  charge.  This  defense  has  been  entered  by 
them,  and  the  issue  is  therefore  squarely  joined.  They  deny 
the  charge.  In  other  words,  they  plead  "Not  guilty."  They 
allege  by  way  of  defense  that  the  processes  of  hypnotism  do 
not  involve  the  control  of  the  will  or  voluntary  powers  of 
the  subject  in  the  least  degree.  This  is  the  only  possible  de- 
fense they  could  make  without  seriously  jeopardizing  their 
cause  at  the  very  outset. 

Unfortunately,  however,  for  the  position  they  have  thus 
assumed,  and  with  equally  good  fortune  for  the  cause  of 
truth,  they  have  been  compelled  to  make  certain  admissions 
in  their  testimony  which  are  fatal  to  their  entire  cause.  It 


24:         THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

is  the  purpose  of  this  chapter  to  call  attention  to  these  fatal 
admissions.  It  is  hoped  and  believed  that  this  may  be  done 
in  such  manner  as  to  avoid  all  offense  to  the  sensibilities  of 
those  who  in  good  faith  have  advocated  the  cause  of  hypno- 
tism. To  do  this  the  several  witnesses  will  be  allowed  to  tell 
their  stories  in  their  own  way,  and  the  reader  will  be  asked  to 
simply  note  the  admissions  as  the  case  proceeds. 

The  first  witness  called  is  John  Duncan  Quackenbos, 
M.  D.,  Professor  Emeritus  of  Columbia  University,  who  is 
also  one  of  the  principal  defendants  on  trial.  Prof.  Quack- 
enbos has  for  many  years  been  considered  one  of  the  ablest 
exponents  of  hypnotism  in  all  its  varied  phases  in  this  coun- 
try. His  reputation  for  both  intelligence  and  honesty  seems 
to  be  above  suspicion.  His  writings  are  among  the  acknowl- 
edged authorities  of  our  western  world,  and  may  be  found 
in  our  leading  public  and  private  libraries.  His  prominent 
position  as  a  public  educator  is  one  which  entitles  him  to  a 
respectful  hearing.  His  experience  covers  many  years  of 
active  practice  and  demonstration  and  has  been  of  such  a 
character  as  to  enable  him  to  speak  with  as  much  assurance 
as  any  defendant  in  the  case.  Indeed,  his  testimony  may  be 
regarded  as  that  of  an  expert,  from  his  point  of  view. 

It  is  due  him,  as  well  as  his  many  students  and  friends 
all  over  the  country,  to  state  that  the  moral  tone  of  his  writ- 
ings is  above  reproach.  No  one  can  read  his  works  without 
a  feeling  of  respect  for  the  man  himself,  as  well  as  for  the 
order  of  his  intelligence.  It  is  for  this  very  reason,  how- 
ever, that  his  public  utterances  upon  this  question  are  all  the 
more  dangerous. 

His  testimony,  here  to  be  presented,  is  embodied  in  a 
work  entitled  "Hypnotism  in  Mental  and  Moral  Culture." 
This  is  his  most  recent  work,  and  therefore  represents  his 
best  knowledge  and  most  mature  judgment  upon  the  question 
at  issue. 

At  page  268  he  says : 

"Will-power  has  nothing  to  do  with  hypnotic  suggestion,  neither 
the  will-power  of  the  operator  nor  that  of  the  subject.  Paralysis  of 
the  will,  which  is  the  bete  noire  of  the  popular  mind,  is  inconceivable. 
The  mesmerizee  (subject)  is  inspired  or  empowered,  as  the  case  may 


THE  DEADLY  PARALLEL 25 

be,  and  works  out  his  own  salvation  in  his  own  objective  life  with- 
out conscious  effort  of  any  kind.  .  .  .  Above  all,  he  is  in  no 
degree  subject  to  another  Will," 

This  brief  quotation  from  the  concluding  chapter  of  his 
book  is  sufficient  to  clearly  define  his  position  upon  the  par- 
ticular question  here  under  consideration.  It  will  be  ob- 
served that  he  unqualifiedly  holds  that  a  hypnotist  does  not 
control  the  will  or  voluntary  powers  of  his  subject.  It  is  for 
this  reason  that  he  is  made  a  party  defendant.  For  the  same 
reason  he  is  called  as  a  witness  in  this  case. 

But  while  he  is  on  the  witness  stand  we  have  the  right, 
and  it  is  not  only  our  right  but  our  duty  as  well,  to  carefully 
weigh  and  consider  all  the  testimony  he  has  offered.  In  this 
manner  only  shall  we  be  able  to  do  him  full  justice  as  "a 
party  in  interest." 

The  opening  sentence  of  his  testimony  is  at  page  3  of  the 
same  work  and  reads  as  follows : 

"Hypnotism,  or  hypnotic  sleep,  implies  a  mind  condition  in  which    ^ 
the  mental  action  and  the  will-power  of  a  sensitive  subject  are  under 
the  control   of  an  operator  who  has   induced  the  state." 

Compare  this,  his  definition  of  hypnotism,  with  his  subse- 
quent declaration  above  quoted,  that  "will-power  has  nothing 
to  do  with  hypnotic  suggestion,  neither  the  will-power  of  the 
operator  nor  that  of  the  subject."  Then  lay  it  down  by  the 
side  of  his  further  declaration  that  "above  all,  he  (the  subject) 
is  in  no  degree  subject  to  another  will."  We  are  then  led  to 
ask  what  could  possibly  induce  any  man  of  intelligence  to 
voluntarily  place  himself  in  so  compromising  and  so  equivocal 
a  position  before  an  enlightened  and  truth-loving  public. 

The  importance  of  these  conflicting  declarations  entitles 
us  to  set  them  in  parallel  columns  for  the  purpose  of  more 
careful  analysis  and  more  critical  study.  Here  they  are. 
Examine  them  carefully : 


Page  3. 

"Hypnotism,  or  hypnotic  sleep, 
implies  a  mind  condition  in  which 
the  mental  action  and  the  will- 
power of  a  sensitive  subject  are 
under  the  control  of  an  operator 
who  has  induced  the  state." 


Page  268. 

"Will-power  has  nothing  to  do 
with  hypnotic  suggestion,  neither 
the  will-power  of  the  operator 
nor  that  of  the  subject.  *  *  * 
Above  all,  he  (the  subject)  is  in 
no  degree  subject  to  another  will." 


Again,  we  are  constrained  to  ask  what  motive,  or  double 


20         THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

motive,  could  prompt  any  man  of  intelligence  and  moral 
perception  to  thus  freely  and  voluntarily  impeach,  discredit 
and  utterly  destroy  the  value  of  his  own  testimony  in  a  mat- 
ter of  such  importance  to  himself  as  well  as  to  the  world  in 
general ? 

To  one  whose  life  and  work  have  made  the  study  of  the 
human  mind  in  all  its  activities,  moods  and  motives  a  neces- 
sity, there  is  but  one  answer,  namely — a  conflict  between  ac- 
knowledged truth  and  personal  interest.  This,  however,  does 
not  necessarily  imply  deliberate  dishonesty  nor  intentional 
deception,  for  the  influence  of  personal  interest  is  often  so 
powerful  in  its  effect  upon  the  intelligence  as  entirely  to  ob- 
scure the  application  of  the  most  exact  and  definite  knowl- 
edge. 

When  the  author  above  quoted  took  his  pen  and  proceeded 
to  deliver  his  message  to  the  world  he  was  full  of  his  subject. 
His  long  experience  and  study  entitled  him  to  feel  that  he 
had  acquired  something  of  value  to  his  fellow-men.  The 
spirit  of  truth  and  the  honest  desire  to  serve  mankind  prompted 
him  to  write.  With  no  particular  thought  of  himself,  nor 
of  the  necessity  for  his  subsequent  vindication,  justification 
or  defense,  but  with  a  clear  consciousness  of  the  truth  alone, 
based  upon  his  own  personal  and  repeated  demonstrations,  and 
an  untroubled  conscience,  the  first  words  he  penned  were 
these : 

"Hypnotism,  or  hypnotic  sleep,  implies  a  mind  condition  in  which 
the  mental  action  and  the  will-power  of  a  sensitive  subject  are  under 
the  control  of  an  operator  who  has  induced  the  state." 

Upon  the  basis  of  this  (his  own  definition  of  hypnotism), 
which  is  exact,  explicit  and  true  as  far  as  it  goes,  he  then 
, proceeds  for  more  than  250  pages  to  reiterate,  elaborate,  elu- 
cidate and  expound  the  subject  of  hypnotism  in  a  clear  and 
forceful  manner.  But  when  he  is  alrnost  ready  to  lay  down 
his  pen  and  say,  "It  is  finished,"  his  attention  is  called  to  the 
fact  that  the  "popular  mind"  condemns  the  practice  of  hyp- 
notism on  the  ground  that  it  involves  a  "paralysis  of  the 
will." 

His  intelligence  at  once  recognizes  the  fact  that  "paraly- 


THE  DEADLY  PARALLEL 27 

sis  of  the  will"  is  a  most  undesirable  achievement.  He  is 
therefore  compelled,  as  an  honest  and  intelligent  gentleman, 
to  observe  that  the  will  and  voluntary  powers  of  every 
intelligent  individual  constitute  the  very  foundation  of 
his  individual  responsibility.  He  knows  that  individual 
responsibility  is  the  very  corner  stone  of  the  entire  social  and 
moral  structure.  It  therefore  occurs  to  him  that  any  process, 
practice  or  profession  which  involves  a  paralysis  of  the  will 
must  be  deemed  a  menace  to  the  individual,  and  therefore  in- 
imical to  the  highest  interests  of  society  and  morals. 

He  therefore  feels  that  his  profession  and  practice,  as  well 
as  the  processes  and  forces  he  employs,  are  under  the  ban  of 
suspicion.  For  the  time  being  he  forgets  the  meaning  of  his 
definition  and  realizes  only  that  it  is  incumbent  upon  him 
to  defend  himself  and  his  profession  from  the  accusing  atti- 
tude of  the  "popular  mind." 

He  sees  that  there  is  but  one  method  by  which  he  can  do 
this.  That  is  by  an  unqualified  denial  of  the  justice  of  pop- 
ular sentiment  and  popular  judgment.  There  is  nothing  left 
for  him  to  do  but  reverse  them.  It  is  then  that  he  declares 
with  all  the  earnestness  of  an  injured  party  that  "Paralysis 
of  the  will,  which  is  the  bete  noire  of  the  popular  mind,  is 
inconceivable." 

It  is  then  that  personal  interest  overrides  the  power  of 
acknowledged  truth.  For  the  time  being  his  opening  defini- 
tion and  all  his  work  based  thereon  pass  from  his  memory 
and  their  meaning  from  his  consciousness.  With  all  his  fac- 
ulties and  powers  awake  and  actively  engaged  in  an  effort  to 
combat  the  "popular  mind,"  he  is,  for  the  time  being,  utterly 
oblivious  to  the  fact  that  by  his  own  admissions  he  stands 
condemned.  Then  it  is  that  he  pens  "The  Deadly  Parallel." 

Had  he  been  content  to  rest  his  case  upon  its  merit,  he 
would  have  stood  before  the  world  a  notable  exception,  and 
must  then  have  challenged  the  admiration  of  all  honest  and 
intelligent  men. 

To  fully  appreciate  the  overwhelming  manner  in  which 
the  testimony  of  this  defendant  must  stand  as  his  own  most 
powerful  accuser,  it  is  necessary  to  read  his  book  through 


28         THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

from  beginning  to  end.     A   few  brief  quotations,  however, 
will  be  sufficient  to  illustrate  the  complete  manner  in  which 
he  has  "turned  state's  evidence"  in  the  case  at  issue. 
At  pages  5  and  6  he  says : 

"It  has  long  been  known  that  a  human  being  can  be  thrown  into 
an  artificial  sleep,  during  which  he  sustains  such  a  relation  to  an 
operator  who  has  induced  it  that  he  is  sensitive  only  to  what  the 
operator  tells  him  he  is  sensitive  to,  and  is  wholly  subject,  so  far  as 
his  mental  operations  and  physical  actions  are  concerned,  to  the 
volition  of  his  hypnotist.  A  hypnotized  person  sees,  hears,  tastes, 
smells  and  feels  what  the  operator  says  that  he  sees,  hears,  tastes,  smells 
and  feels — and  nothing  else.  For  the  time  being  his  individuality  is 
surrendered  to  the  person  who  has  hypnotized  him." 

Special  attention  is  called  to  the  admission  herein  con- 
tained to  the  effect  that  the  subject  "is  wholly  subject,  so 
far  as  his  mental  operations  and  physical  actions  are  con- 
cerned, to  the  volition  of  his  hypnotist."  In  this  connection 
also  let  it  be  remembered  that  "volition"  is  nothing  more  nor 
less  than  the  "active  Will."  Then  note  the  parallel: 


Page  5. 

"He   is   wholly   subject,   so    far 
as  his  mental  operations  and  phy- 


Page  268. 

"Above  all,  he  is  in  no  degree 
subject  to  another  will." 


sical  actions  are  concerned,  to  the 
volition  of  his  hypnotist." 

Comment  is  unnecessary. 

Again,  at  page  n,  after  a  most  vivid  portrayal  of  the 
process  by  which  he  proceeds  to  obtain  control  of  his  sub- 
ject, he  says: 

"And   in    a    few   moments    a   profound   breath   is    taken,    the   lids 
close,     .     .     .     and    I   know   that   I   have   been   given   possession   of 
that  soul  for  such  time  as  I  may  prescribe,  to  do  with  it  what  I  will." 
Once  more  we  are  compelled  to  note  the  parallel: 


Page  268. 
"Above  all,  he  is  in  no  degree 
subject  to  another  will." 


Page  ii. 

"I  know  that  I  have  been  given 
possession  of  that  soul  for  such  a 
time  as  I  may  prescribe  to  do 
with  it  what  I  will." 

And  so  we  might  proceed  throughout  his  entire  work,  and 
upon  almost  every  page  produce  cumulative  evidence  of  the 
same  general  character.  It  is  only  when  he  finds  it  neces- 
sary to  meet  the  accusing  attitude  of  the  "popular  mind" 
that  he  turns  from  the  logic  of  his  own  experiments  and 
demonstrations.  But  the  "Deadly  Parallel"  has  done  its  work. 


THE  DEADLY  PARALLEL 29 

Much  more  space  and  consideration  have  been  given  to 
the  testimony  of  this  witness  than  would  otherwise  have 
been  done  but  for  the  following  reasons : 

i.  He  is  a  conspicuous  educator  of  acknowledged  ability 
and  a  professor  in  one  of  the  leading  universities  of  the 
country. 

•2.  He  is  a  modern  writer  of  the  Occidental  school,  whose 
interest  in  the  subject  under  consideration  has  kept  him 
before  the  public  mind  in  a  most  conspicuous  manner. 

3.  So  far  as  known  to  the  writer  he  is  a  man  of  clean 
moral  life  and  excellent  professional  standing. 

4.  He   stands   as   an   acknowledged   authority    upon   the 
subject  of  hypnotism  among  his  western  contemporaries. 

5.  His  long  experience  as  a  professional  man,  together 
with  his  many  years  of  active  investigation  and  practice  as 
a   hypnotist   entitle   him   to   speak   with    as    much    assurance 
as  any  writer  of  his  time  who  has  written  upon  this  subject. 

6.  His  treatment  of  the  subject  under  consideration   is 
identical  in  all  its  essential  features  with  that  of  other  leading 
western  authorities. 

7.  The  f-atal  contradictions  in  which  he  has  involved  him- 
self in  his  efforts  to  justify  the  practice  'of  hypnotism  are  of' 
the  same  general  nature  as  are  those  of  every  other  authority 
who  has  denied  that  the  will  or  voluntary  power  of  the  sub- 
ject is  under  control  of  his  hypnotist. 

8.  He  therefore  stands  as  a  typical  defendant  in  this  case, 
possessing  the   highest   character   and    attainments,   and    for 
these  reasons  is  in  position  to  set  up  as  strong  a  defense  as 
can  be  made. 

With  as  much  brevity  as  the  importance  of  the  subject  will 
admit,  the  testimony  of  other  authorities  will  now  be  pre- 
sented. 

From  a  work  entitled  "Eastern  Manners,"  by  Jameson, 
the  following  quotation  concerning  the  effects  of  the  "Evil 
Eye" — as  he  has  chosen  to  designate  the  hypnotic  gaze — is 
reproduced.  He  says: 

"The  first  effect  of  the  malignant  glance  is  to  deprive  the  indi- 
viduals subject  to  it  of  the  capability  to  exercise  their  will.  They  are 


30         THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

brought  under  the  absolute  control  of  the  possessor  of  the  'Evil 
Eye.' " 

There  can  be  no  mistaking  the  meaning  of  this  quotation. 

It  stands  as  another  unqualified  admission  of  the  fact  that 
the  hypnotist  does  control  the  will  or  voluntary  powers  of  his 
subject. 

One  of  the  most  useful  works  of  reference,  perhaps,  to 
.  be  found,  covering  this  subject,  is  entitled  "Private  Instruc- 
tions in  the  Science  and  Art  of  Organic  Magnetism,"  by  Miss 
Chandos  Leigh  Hunt,  of  London,  England.  This  is  also  a 
comparatively  recent  publication.  Its  special  value,  in  this 
connection,  is  in  the  fact  that  the  author  has  supplied  us  with 
a  literal  reproduction  of  the  separate  and  distinct  methods  or 
processes  employed  by  some  fifty  or  more  of  the  leading 
hypnotists,  from  whose  writings  she  quotes  extensively. 

As  plainly  as  words  can  be  employed  in  the  expression  of 
intelligent  ideas,  these  various  authors  have  only  described 
thrir  differing  methods  of  reaching  the  same  result.  But 
what  is  the  result  reached?  It  is  nothing  less  than  the  sub- 
jection of  the  will  or  voluntary  powers  of  the  subject  to  the 
domination  and  control  of  the  operator,  whom  we  name  the 
."hypnotist." 

In  describing  her  own  method  of  obtaining  such  control, 
she  leads  to  the  point  at  which  the  subject  becomes  unable  to 
open  his  eyes,  and  then  she  says : 

"Being  unable  to  open  them  by  his  volition"  (which  is  only  another 
way  of  saying  that  he  no  longer  possesses  the  will  or  voluntary  power 
to  do  so),  "open  his  eyes,  .  .  .  making  him  fix  his  eyes  upon 
yours,  and  draw  him  toward  you  by  drawing-passes.  He  is  now  con- 
ti  oiled,  and  you  may  proceed  at  once  to  the  production  of  experimental 
phenomena." 

Note  the  expression,  "He  is  now  controlled,"  etc.  There 
can  be  no  possible  mistake  as  to  the  meaning  of  these  words. 
They  state  the  fact  in  all  its  simplicity  and  truth.  He  is  in- 
deed "controlled." 

A  little  further  on,  at  page  31,  she  says: 

"When  you  are  operating  upon  a  subject,  you  must  Will  that  he 
cannot  open  his  eyes,"  etc. 

At  page  32  she  further  says: 
"The   Magnetic-Will  must  be   employed.     .     .     .     You    will    then 


THE  DEADLY  PARALLEL 31 

be  able  to  draw   him  towards  you,  provided  you   fully  express  your 
Will,"  etc. 

More  than  one  hundred  similar  expressions  may  be  found 
in  her  "Instructions,"  each  of  which  clearly  and  unqualifiedly 
indicates  but  one  fixed  and  definite  purpose  on  the  part  of 
the  hypnotist,  and  that  is  to  obtain  control  of  the  will  or 
voluntary  powers  of  her  subject.  The  process  which  she  so 
cleverly  describes  merely  discloses  the  several  objective  steps 
by  which  this  one  purpose  is  accomplished. 

Dr.  Gregory  says : 

"It  is  necessary  to  act  with  a  cool,  collected  mind,  and  a  firm 
Will,  while  the  patient  (subject)  is  perfectly  passive,"  etc. 

It  is  also  said  of  Dr.  Darling: 

"A  very  large  proportion  is  found,  on  examination,  to  be  more  or 
less  subject  to  his  Will.  ...  In  like  manner  he  controls  the 
Will,  so  that  the  subject  is  compelled  to  perform  a  certain  act,"  etc. 

Professor  Gregory  says  of  Mr.  Lewis  : 

"He  adds  certain  gestures  and  passes,  all  of  which  are  most  deeply 
imbued  with  that  energetic  concentration  of  the  Will  which  I  have 
never  seen  so  strongly  developed,"  etc. 

Captain  James  says : 

"It  is  recommended  that  the  operator  should  concentrate  his  ener- 
gies,  and   earnestly   Will,"   etc. 
Kluge  says : 

"The  Magnetist  should  make  that  pass  with  all  the  force  and 
continuance  of  Will,  as  if  pressing  strongly  upon  the  patient,"  etc. 

Baron  Dupotet  says : 

"To  establish  the  art  of  magnetizing,  all  then  consists  in  recog- 
nizing at  first  the  properties  (fixed  and  unalterable)  of  the  Magnetic 
agent,  then  all  these  wherewith  we  can  ourselves  invest  it  by  the 
imprint  of  our  Will. 

"Directing  a  continuously  fixed  look  upon  a  subject  with  •  pre- 
meditated intention,  and  after  some  minutes  upon  another  person,  it 
is  possible  to  cause,  by  strong  Will,  the  subject  to  become  furious 
against  that  person. 

"It  is  by  the  immaterial  power  of  the  soul  that  all  these  faculties 
are  brought  into  play;  it  is  by  this  exorbitant  Will  that  man  possesses, 
that  he  can  violently  enter,  by  the  energy'  of  his  Will,  into  the  soul 
of  another  man,  and  install  himself  there.  .  .  .  The  simple  Will 
can  profoundly  overthrow  the  physical,  intellectual  and  moral  organ- 
ization of  another  man." 

The  following  definition  of  hypnotism  may  be  found  in 
Foster's  Encyclopaedic  Medical  Dictionary: 

"An  abnormal  state  into  which  some  persons  may  be  thrown 
.  .  .  by  the  exercise  of  another  person's  Will;  characterized  by 


32         THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

suspension    of   the    Will   and   consequent  obedience   to   the   prompting 
of  'suggestions'  from  without." 

Dr.  James  R.  Cocke,  of  our  own  country,  in  his  recent 
work  on  the  subject  of  hypnotism,  at  page  9,  says: 

"Briefly,  then,  hypnotism  may  be  induced  by  impressing  profoundly 
the   mentality  through  all  the  senses.     The  intellect,  the  reason,  the 
Will,  the   emotions,   are  all   children   of  the  senses." 
Page  12: 

"I  had  one  man  tell  me  that  he  did  it  all  for  amusement,  and 
that  he  was  not  in  any  way  under  my  control,  but  I  soon  convinced 
him  of  his  mistake  by  hypnotizing  him  one  day  and  telling  him  that 
he  had  drunk  a  number  of  flies  with  his  cup  of  coffee,  for  he  im- 
mediately vomited  his  whole  breakfast." 
Page  13: 

"I  have  recently  made  a  very  curious  experiment  in  order  to  de- 
termine whether  a  person  paralysed  by  hypnotic  suggestion  would  act 
in  the  same  way  as  he  would  if  he  were  paralyzed  from  organic  dis- 
ease of  the  brain." 

Italics  supplied  by  the  author. 
Page  21 : 

"The   hypnotized   subject   will   become  physically  blind  at  the  op- 
erator's   Will." 
Page  35: 

"The  moralists  who  are  careful  of  human  dignity,  and  who  are 
preoccupied  with  the  thought  of  such  great  possibilities  of  danger, 
are  in  the  right.  They  are  right  to  condemn  a  practice  which  may 
rob  a  man  of  his  free  will  without  the  possibility  of  resistance  on 
his  part;  they  would  be  a  thousand  times  right  if  the  remedy  were 
not  side  by  side  with  the  evil." 

Particular  attention  is  called  to  the  admission  that  the 
practice  of  hypnotism  is  one  "which  may  rob  a  man  of  his 
free  will  without  the  possibility  of  resistance  on  his  part." 
This  confesses  all  that  has  been  claimed  thus  far.  The  con- 
cluding clause  of  the  quotation  which  suggests  that  a  remedy 
is  "side  by  side  with  the  evil,"  involves  an  assumption,  pure 
and  simple,  which  the  following  pages  will  fully  demonstrate. 

Dr.  Luys,  of  the  Charity  Hospital  of  Paris,  in  his  Clinical 
Lectures,  says: 

"You  can  not  only  oblige  this  defenseless  being  (hypnotized  sub- 
ject), who  is  incapable  of  opposing  the  slightest  resistance,  to  give 
from  hand  to  hand  anything  you  choose,  but  you  can  also  make  him 
sign  a  promise,  draw  up  a  bill  of  exchange,  or  any  kind  of  agree- 
ment. You  can  make  him  write  an  holographic  will  (which  accord- 
ing to  the  French  law,  would  be  valid),  which  he  will  hand  over  to 
you,  and  of  which  he  will  never  know  the  existence.  He  is  ready 


THE  DEADLY  PARALLEL 33 

to  fulfill  the  minutest  legal  formalities,  and  will  do  so  with  a  calm, 
serene  and  natural  manner,  which  would  deceive  the  most  expert  law 
officers.  The  somnambulist  will  not  hesitate  either,  you  may  be  sure, 
to  make  a  denunciation,  or  bear  false  witness.  They  are,  I  repeat, 
the  passive  instruments  of  your  Will." 

Prof.  De  Lawrence,  in  his  recent  work  on  "Hypnotism," 
says : 

Page  77 : 

"There  is  a  way  in  which  a  shrewd  hypnotist  can  succeed  in  putting 
people  under  the  influence  who  really  do  not  care  to  be  hypnotized." 

Page  78: 

"The  author  has,  during  his  years  of  experience,  discovered  and 
successfully  used  a  method  by  which  he  has  succeeded  in  hypnotizing 
a  great  many  people  against  their  will,  who  had  never  been  operated 
on  before." 

Page  79: 

"You  can  then  proceed  by  a  few  well  chosen  suggestions  to  put 
him  dead  asleep  and  induce  somnambulism  or  trance  in  the  regular 
way.  He  will  ever  afterwards  be  your  subject  if  you  understand 
your  business  in  giving  post-hypnotic  suggestions." / 

To  the  same  general  effect  the  testimony  of  other  witnesses 
of  equal  professional  standing  might  be  continued  indefinitely. 
The  writer  here  asserts,  without  the  least  fear  of  contradic- 
tion, that  there  is  not  a  single  acknowledged  authority  on  the 
subject  of  hypnotism  but  will  furnish  evidence  of  the  same 
general  tenor  and  effect  as  that  here  submitted. 

The  reader  is  asked  to  specially  note  this  statement.  It  is 
of  the  most  vital  importance  for  the  reason  that  it  makes 
every  hypnotist  a  witness  against  hypnotism.  An  exhaustive 
research  through  the  literature  of  the  subject  will  establish  the 
truth  of  the  declaration  here  made  and  fully  justify  the  posi- 
tion here  taken. 

It  now  remains  to  close  the  case  with  the  testimony  of  wit- 
nesses who  are  able  to  speak  from  a  definite  knowledge  based 
upon  absolute  personal  experiences  which  are  above  and  be- 
yond the  power  of  controversy.  These  witnesses  are  hyp- 
notic subjects  in  whose  behalf  this  work  is  presented  to  the 
world.  These  are  the  most  important  of  all  the  "parties 
in  interest"  and  are  therefore  entitled  to  be  heard. 

The  first  witness  of  this  character  is  a  colored  boy  of 
twenty  years  who  was  the  unhappy  and  unwilling  victim  of 


34         THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

one  of  the  leading  professional  hypnotists  of  this  country 
whose  name  is  familiar  to  almost  every  student  of  the  subject. 

It  is  a  fact  with  which  every  professional  hypnotist  is 
familiar,  that  the  colored  race  is  peculiarly  susceptible  to  hyp- 
notic influence.  Colored  people,  both  men  and  women,  make 
excellent  subjects  for  experimental  purposes. 

The  young  man  whose  experience  is  offered  in  evidence, 
lived  in  one  of  our  southern  cities.  His  first  hypnotic  experi- 
ence was  at  a  public  entertainment  given  by  the  hypnotist 
with  whom  he  afterwards  traveled.  He  was  called  to  the 
platform  from  the  audience  for  the  purpose  of  experimenta- 
tion. He  was  assured  that  he  would  not  be  injured  in  any 
way  and  that  the  process  was  entirely  harmless.  After  much 
persuasion,  in  which  some  of  his  friends  joined,  he  finally 
consented  to  go  upon  the  platform  and  submit  to  the  test.  He 
proved  to  be  a  most  susceptible  subject,  and  upon  the  second 
or  third  trial  was  completely  hypnotized.  Under  the  hypnotic 
spell  he  was  made  to  furnish  entertainment  for  his  friends 
and  proved  a  valuable  acquisition  to  his  hypnotist. 

A  proposition  was  made  to  him  the  next  day  to  travel  and 
submit  to  hypnotic  tests  whenever  required.  He  refused  to 
go  on  any  terms  whatever.  But  he  attended  another  enter- 
tainment, and  was  again  hypnotized.  After  that  day  he  was 
the  helpless  instrument  of  the  man  who  had  thus  dethroned 
his  will.  When  the  hypnotist  left  the  city  the  colored  boy 
went  with  him.  For  the  first  few  weeks  he  was  kept  under 
hypnotic  control  much  of  the  time  in  order  to  overcome  his 
lingering  desire  to  return  to  his  home  and  parents.  For  a 
period  of  two  years  he  was  the  helpless  instrument  under 
the  control  of  the  relentless  will  of  his  hypnotist. 

At  last  his  mind  gave  way  under  the  strain  and  he  became 
a  raving  maniac.  In  this  condition  he  was  carried  to  an  asy- 
lum, and,  so  far  as  the  writer  knows,  is  still  an  inmate  of  that 
institution. 

The  next  witness  is  a  young  man  of  Swedish  parentage, 
who  was  induced  under  similar  circumstances  to  first  submit 
himself  to  a  public  test.  He  fell  an  easy  victim  to  hypnotic 
influences.  In  a  similiar  manner  he  was  compelled  to  fol- 


_  THE  DEADLY  PARALLEL  _  35 

low  the   fortunes  of  an  unscrupulous  hypnotist  and  submit 
himself  to  public  tests  whenever  required. 

The  writer  chanced  to  attend  one  of  the  public  entertain- 
ments at  which  this  young  man  was  subjected  to  the  most 
cruel  and  inhuman  treatment  it  has  ever  been  his  misfortune 
to  witness.  The  next  day,  through  an  unexpected  incident, 
the  writer  and  the  young  man  were  brought  together  under 
.conditions  which  made  it  possible  to  obtain  the  facts  here 


I  The  young  man  pleaded  for  help  to  break  the  spell  which 
bound  him  as  the  helpless  slave  of  an  unscrupulous  master. 
His  story  pictured  each  day  as  a  living  hell.  Many  times  he 
tried  to  run  away  and  conceal  himself.  He  had  even  tried  to 
commit  suicide  to  escape  the  mental  clutches  of  his  tormentor. 
Every  effort  for  liberty  only  bound  the  chains  of  hypnotic  in- 
fluence more  securely  upon  him. 

As  he  told  the  story  his  face  blanched  with  fear  and  his 
body  shook  with  suppressed  agony.  In  his  eyes  was  the  look 
of  the  hunted  deer.  He  seemed  to  realize  that  his  very  soul 
was  slowly  but  surely  being  consumed  by  the  strange  power 
which  had  overwhelmed  all  his  voluntary  faculties  and 
powers.  He  too  became  a  mental  wreck  inside  of  eighteen 
months  from  the  time  of  his  first  hypnotic  subjection,  and 
was  abandoned  by  the  man  who  had  wrecked  his  life,  but  by 
mere  chance  was  found  by  relatives  and  cared  for  by  them. 

The  third  witness  is  a  young  and  beautiful  girl  whose  life 
was  full  of  brightness  and  promise  until  the  fateful  day 
when  she  first  submitted  to  the  seductive  charm  of  the  hyp- 
notic trance.  She  was  exhibited  for  three  days  upon  the 
stage  in  her  country  town  and  then  left  home,  friends  and 
loved  ones  to  follow  the  man  who  had  overthrown  her 
powers  of  resistance.  Insanity  and  suicide  ended  the  earthly 
career  of  this  beautiful  girl,  and  her  murderer  is  still  per- 
mitted to  practice  his  black  art  upon  others  equally  ignorant 
and  equally  innocent. 

These  are  but  three  of  the  many  witnesses  of  this  class 
whose  testimony  is  unanswerable.  Comment  is  unnecessary. 
These  three  speak  for  the  multitudes.  They  do  not  theorize 


36         THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

nor  speculate  nor  argue.  They  speak  with  absolute  authority. 
There  is  none  who  dares  dispute  them.  They  testify  from  a 
personal  experience.  Their  testimony  is  conclusive. 

What  hypnotic  control  has  done  for  these  three  it  will  do 
for  as  many  more  as  submit  to  its  influence  under  similar  con- 
ditions. The  fact  that  it  has  overthrown  the  will  and  volun- 
tary powers  of  but  a  single  individual  is  sufficient  to  discredit 
the  testimony  of  all  the  so-called  "authorities"  whose  obser- 
vations and  speculations  have  led  them  to  declare  that  such 
results  are  impossible  or  "inconceivable." 

The  reader  is  asked  to  note  the  fact  that  among  all  the 
authorities  who  have  arrayed  themselves  upon  the  defense, 
not  one  is  able  to  speak  from  the  standpoint  of  exact  and  defi- 
nite knowledge.  Their  testimony  invariably  takes  the  form 
of  argumentation  or  disputation.  Not  one  is  able  to  say,  "I 
know." 

As  a  typical  illustration,  attention  is  called  to  the  work  of 
Thomson  Jay  Hudson,  LL.  D.,  entitled  "The  Law  of  Psychic 
Phenomena."  This  author  devotes  an  entire  chapter  of 
twenty  closely  written  pages  to  the  subject  of  "Hypnotism 
and  Crime."  His  purpose  is  to  show,  among  other  things, 
the  "utter  impossibility  of  victimizing  virtue  and  innocence 
by  means  of  hypnotism." 

He  takes  the  position  that  it  is  impossible  for  a  hypnotist 
to  so  far  control  the  will  of  his  subject  as  to  compel  him  to  do 
that  which  he  knows,  or  conscientiously  believes  to  be  wrong. 
He  then  Jays  down  a  number  of  suppositions  and  with  these 
suppositions  as  a  premise  proceeds  to  an  elaborate  argument 
in  which  he  endeavors  to  sustain  his  position. 

His  argument  is  ingenious  and  interesting,  from  the  stand- 
point of  mere  speculation,  but,  after  all,  it  is  nothing  but  an 
argument.  Moreover,  it  is  an  argument  which  is  entirely  an- 
swerable even  from  the  basis  of  his  own  premises.  Aside 
from  this,  however,  it  cannot  stand  in  the  face  of  facts  dem- 
onstrated. Under  the  relentless  logic  of  personal  experience 
and  personal  demonstration  it  must  yield  to  the  immutable 
law  of  gravity  and  fall  to  the  ground. 

Let   it   be   remembered  that  the   definite  purpose  of  this 


THE  DEADLY  PARALLEL 37 

chapter  is  to  establish  in  the  mind  of  the  reader  one  funda- 
mental fact,  and  one  only,  namely — that  a  hypnotist  does 
control  the  will  or  voluntary  powers  of  his  subject  during  the 
continuance  of  the  hypnotic  relation. 

The  establishment  of  this  fact  is  here  based  upon  three 
distinct  and  separate  lines  of  direct  evidence  either  of  which, 
under  all  the  rules  for  determining  the  value  of  testimony, 
would  be  deemed  sufficient  in  law,  even  though  it  stood  alone 
and  unsupported.  These  three  lines  of  evidence  are  as 
follows : 

1.  The   absolutely    positive,   definite   and   uncontroverted 
testimony  of  the  School  of  Natural  Science,  based  upon  the 
most  exact,  personal  and  scientific  demonstration. 

2.  The  voluntary,  public  admissions  of  hypnotists  them- 
selves, whose  profession,  practice  and  personal  interest  have 
together  impelled  them  to  take  the  witness  stand  in  their  own 
defense.     These  admissions,  upon  examination,  are  found  to 
be  of  the  most  positive  and  unqualified  character,  and  coming 
as  they  do  from  the  defendants  on  trial,  must  be  regarded  as 
evidence  of  the  most  conclusive  character. 

3.  The  evidence  of  hypnotic  subjects  whose  ruined  lives 
and   shattered  reason   tell   the  story   of   the   despofic  master 
and  his  helpless  victim,  with  a  force  and  pathos  which  punct- 
ure every  sophistry  and  silence  all  ridicule. 

•/  By  the  authority  and  sanction  of  Natural  Science,  by  the 
voluntary,  public  admissions  of  hypnotists  themselves,  by  the 
wrecked  lives  and  dethroned  reason  of  hypnotic  subjects,  and 
finally,  by  the  personal  demonstrations  and  definite  knowledge 
of  the  writer,  it  is  declared  as  an  indisputable  and  a  demon- 
strable fact  that  a  hypnotist  does  control  the  will  and  volun- 
tary powers,  as  well  as  the  sensory  organism  of  his  subject 
during  the  continuance  of  the  hypnotic  relation. 

In  like  manner  it  is  again  declared  that  hypnotism  is  the 
process  by  and  through  which  a  hypnotist  obtains,  holds  and 
exercises  control  of  the  will,  voluntary  powers  and  sensory 
organism  of  his  subject,  and  only  in  so  far  as  such  control 
exists  is  the  process  hypnotic. 


20658 


38         THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 


CHAPTER   VI. 


MAN  AND  His  Two  ORGANISMS. 

No  adequate  conception  of  the  true  nature  of  hypnosis  is 
possible  until  the  threefold  nature  of  man  is  understood  and 
appreciated  as  a  scientific  proposition.  This  subject  has  been 
fully  and  carefully  presented  in  "Harmonics  of  Evolution" 
(Volume  I,  of  this  series),  chapter  III,  to  which  the  reader 
is  referred  for  full  and  complete  data.  The  following  extracts 
from  that  work  are  here  reproduced  as  the  basis  of  our  pres- 
ent analysis. 

Vol.  I,  p.  39,  e t  seq. : 

"Man  is  composed  of  body,  spirit  and  soul.  This  means  that  man 
has  a  physical  body  and  a  spiritual  body  which  are  controlled  and 
operated  by  the  highest  entity,  the  intelligent  ego,  the  soul.  The 
physical  body  is  composed  of  physical  matter.  The  particles  which 
are  coarse  in  texture  move  at  a  correspondingly  low  rate  of  vibratory 
action.  The  physical  body  is  provided  with  physical  sensory  organs. 
Nature  has  conditioned  these  organs  to  receive  and  register  the  vibra- 
tions of.  physical  matter  only.  These  vibrations  are  registered 
upon  the  physical  brain,  through  which  instrument  they  become  cog- 
nizant to  the  intelligent  soul.  By  aid  of  these  organs  the  intelligent 
ego  or  soul  becomes  cognizant  of  different  external,  physical  objects, 
elements  and  conditions.  The  recognition  by  the  ego  of  these  exter- 
nal, physical  objects,  elements  and  conditions  constitutes  what  we  term 
physical  sensation.  Each  of  the  physical  organs,  of  sensation  receives 
and  registers  a  different  range  of  vibration. 

"Through  the  operation  of  these  several  physical  organs,  each  one 
registering  a  different  range  of  vibration,  the  intelligent  ego  is  brought 
into  conscious  relations  with  a  very  wide  range  of  vibratory  activity 
of  physical  matter.  . 

"It  must  now  be  clear  that  the  physical  sensory  organs  are  adapted 
to  receive  and  register  only  trie  vibrations  of  physical  matter.  It 
must  also  be  clear  that  they  are  adapted  to  receive  only  a  limited 
range  of  physical  vibrations. 

"The  spiritual  body  of  a  man  is  composed  of  'spiritual  material.' 
That  is,  of  matter  much  finer  than  the  finest  physical  matter,  and 
moving  at  a  higher  rate  of  vibration  than  the  finest  particles  of 
physical  matter  moving  at  their  highest  possible  rate.  The  spiritual 
body  permeates  the  physical  and  constitutes  the  model  upon  which 
physical  matter  integrates.  The  spiritual  body,  like  the  physical,  is 
provided  with  five  sensory  organs.  They  are  adapted  to  receive  and 
register  vibrations  of  spiritual  matter  only;  that  is,  of  matter  lying 
upon  the  same  plane  of  vibratory  action  as  the  spiritual  body  itself. 
By  the  aid  of  these  organs  the  intelligent  ego  becomes  cognizant  of 
different  external,  spiritual  objects,  elements  and  conditions.  The 


MAN  AND  HIS  TWO  ORGANISMS 39 

recognition  by  the  ego  of  these  objects,  elements  and  conditions  con- 
stitutes what  we  term  spiritual  sensation.  Each  one  of  the  spiritual 
sensory  organs  receives  and  registers  a  different  range  of  vibration. 

"By  use  of  these  spiritual  organs,  each  registering  a  different 
range  of  vibratory  activity  upon  the  spiritual  plane,  the  intelligence 
or  soul  is  brought  into  conscious  relation  with  a  very  wide  range 
of  vibrations  of  spiritual  material. 

"These  spiritual  organs  register  the  vibrations  of  spiritual  material 
only.  They  are  also  limited  in  their  capacity  on  the  spiritual  plane 
in  a  manner  analogous  to  the.  limitations  of  the  physical  senses. 

"That  which  is  important  in  this  connection  is  the  fact  that  the 
spiritual  sensory  organs  do  not  register  the  vibrations  of  physical 
matter. 

"It  now  becomes  possible  to  conceive  of  two  planes  of  matter,  life 
and  intelligence,  correlated  yet  separated  by  apparently  impassable 
barriers.  This  knowledge  explains  how  matter  upon  one  plane  is 
invisible  and  intangible  to  intelligence  upon  another.  It  explains  how 
sound  on  one  plane  is  silence  on  the  other;  how  the  light  of  one 
plane  is  darkness  upon  the  other. 

"The  earth  man  is,  therefore,  the  inhabitant  and  operator  of  two 
distinct  instruments  for  the  uses  of  his  intelligence.  Each  performs 
functions  peculiar  to  its  own  plane  of  matter.  Neither  body  is  more 
than  a  mere  vehicle  for  the  uses  of  the  operating  ego.  Both  are 
important.  Both  are  indispensable  to  the  soul  seeking  knowledge  of 
itself  and  its  environment." 

In  the  light  of  this  analysis  it  would  appear  that  Paul  knew 
what  he  was  talking  about  when  he  declared  to  the  Corin- 
thians in  such  exact  and  unqualified  terms  that:  "There  is 
a  natural  body,  and  there  is  a  spiritual  body."  (I  Cor.,  15, 
44.)  It  is  also  evident  that  Christ  fully  understood  the  rela- 
tion of  these  two  bodies  to  the  third  and  highest  element  in 
the  triune  nature  of  man  when  he  asked  the  searching  and 
vital  question:  "For  what  shall  it  profit  a  man,  if  he  shall 
gain  the  whole  world,  and  lose  his  own  soul?"  (Mark,  8, 
36.) 

From  the  foregoing  analysis  it  will  be  understood  that  the    , 
physical  body  is  but  a  coarser  duplicate  of  the  spiritual,  and 
that  each  and  every  physical  organ  has  its  spiritual  duplicate.  ' 
There  is  a  spiritual  brain  as  well  as  a  physical  brain.     There 
is  a  spiritual  organ  of  sight  as  well  as  a  physical  one.     There 
are  spiritual  organs  of  touch,  taste,   smell  and  hearing,  just 
as  there  are  physical  organs  of  these  several  senses.     In  other 
words,  for  each  separate  physical  organ  of  the  brain  there  is 
a  corresponding  spiritual  one.     This  being  a  scientific  fact, 


40        THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

it  will  not  be  difficult  to  understand  its  natural  corollary, 
which  is,  that  under  given  conditions  the  intelligent  soul 
which  owns  and  operates  these  separate  organisms  may  re- 
ceive impressions  through  either  set  of  its  sensory  organs. 

But  man  in  the  physical  body  is  generally  so  conditioned 
that  his  intelligence  operates  far  more  consciously  through  the 
physical  organism  than  it  does  through  the  spiritual.  Just 
why  this  is  true  is  not  so  much  a  matter  of  importance  at  this 
time  as  the  fact  that  it  is  one  of  the  provisions  of  nature  with 
which  science  must  deal  in  its  solution  of  the  question  here 
under  consideration. 

It  is  also  a  fact  that  wherever  this  condition  obtains  the 
individual  is  concerned  with  and  absorbed  in  the  impressions 
which  reach  his  consciousness  from  the  physical  world  only. 
The  action  of  the  spiritual  organism,  however,  is  not  entirely 
suspended,  as  might  be  inferred.  It  is  merely  obscured  or 
covered  up,  as  it  were,  by  that  condition  of  nature  which 
fixes  the  attention  upon  the  physical  plane. 

But  even  in  this  condition  the  spiritual  organism  some- 
times conveys  its  impressions  in  a  dim  way  to  the  con- 
sciousness of  the  individual,  and  when  it  does  so  we  call 
them  "intuitions." 

The  following  illustration  may  serve  to  present  the  facts 
and  the  principle  more  clearly  to  mind: 

Go  into  one  of  the  large,  steel  manufacturing  establish- 
ments of  the  country  while  the  machinery  is  in  full  operation 
and  there  attempt  to  carry  on  a  conversation  with  a  person 
twenty  feet  distant  from  you.  However  much  you  may  both 
exert  yourselves  you  will  be  unable  to  hear  a  word  he  says. 
The  noise  of  the  machinery  and  the  general  confusion  of  the 
factory  will  make  it  impossible.  His  voice  is  drowned  in  the 
general  uproar  and  fails  to  make  a  sufficiently  strong  impres- 
sion upon  your  consciousness  to  be  recognized  with  distinct- 
ness. You  are  too  busily  engaged  with  the  various  and  con- 
flicting impressions  made  upon  your  consciousness  by  the 
thunder,  clang  and  turmoil  of  the  factory. 

But  the  sound  of  the  voice  is  there,  just  the  same.  More 
than  this,  it  even  makes  an  impression  upon  your  sensory  or- 


MAN  AND  HIS  TWO  ORGANISMS  41 

ganism.  Why,  then,  do  you  not  recognize  the  fact?  It  is 
only  because  your  consciousness  is  so  preoccupied  with  the 
more  intense  impressions  of .  the  louder  noises  of  the  fac- 
tory, for  the  time  being,  that  you  fail  to  distinguish  the  sound 
of  the  voice. 

In  a  somewhat  analogous  manner  the  average  man  seems 
to  be  shut  out  and  away  from  all  conscious  touch  with  the 
spiritual  world.  But  this  is  only  a  seeming  condition,  for  it 
is  not  true  in  fact.  He  is  merely  so  absorbed,  for  the  time 
being,  in  the  more  intense  impressions  which  reach  his  con- 
sciousness through  the  physical  senses  that  the  spiritual  do  not 
impress  themselves  upon  him  with  sufficient  relative  force  to 
be  so  identified  or  distinguished  by  him. 

Carrying  the  illustration  still  further,  it  is  an  interesting 
fact  that  a  worker  in  the  steel  factory,  in  course  of  time, 
trains  his  sense  of  hearing  to  distinguish  the  sound  of  the 
human  voice  even  in  the  midst  of  the  din  and  blast  of  the 
factory  which  at  first  made  such  a  thing  impossible.  The 
question  naturally  arises  as  to  how  he  acquires  this  remark- 
able power.  The  answer  is  simple. 

It  is  necessary  for  him  to  communicate  with  his  fellow 
workmen  in  some  manner.  The  only  adequate  means  of  com- 
munication with  which  he  is  familiar  is  the  sound  of  the  hu- 
man voice.  In  the  midst  of  the  noise  of  the  factory,  therefore, 
he  must  still  depend  upon  his  sense  of  hearing  and  upon  its 
ability  to  distinguish  the  sound  of  the  human  voice.  He  un- 
consciously begins  a  course  of  systematic  training  to  accom- 
plish the  desired  result.  He  may  be,  and  generally  is,  wholly 
ignorant  of  the  law  involved.  But,  "Necessity  is  the  mother 
of  invention,"  and  without  knowing  it  he  begins  to  train  his 
ear  to  the  new  condition  of  things. 

His  attention  is  constantly  fixed  upon  the  thing  to  be  ac- 
complished. His  consciousness  gradually  responds.  By  the 
continued  exercise  of  his  conscious  faculties  and  powers  he 
slowly  but  surely  learns  to  differentiate  between  the  impres- 
sions which  the  various  noises  make  upon  his  consciousness. 
In  course  of  time  and  constant  training  his  power  of  percep- 
tion is  intensified  until  the  human  j/oice  once  more  distinctly 


42        THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

registers  its  impressions,  and  to  his  trained  consciousness 
stands  out  fully  distinguishable  from  the  general  turmoil  of 
his  environment.  He  has  simply  developed  his  power  of  at- 
tention to  the  thing  desired  until  his  consciousness  responds 
to  the  new  demands  thus  made  upon  it. 

By  a  method  which  is  somewhat  analogous  to  this  it  is 
possible  for  anyone  who  possesses  the  necessary  Intelligence, 
Courage  and  Perseverance  and  the  right  desire,  together 
with  the  time,  opportunity  and  proper  instruction,  to  accus- 
tom his  consciousness  to  take  note  of  the  impressions  which 
are  being  constantly  registered  upon  it  through  the  spiritual 
sensory  organs. 

(It  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  here  suggest  that  the  devel- 
opment of  this  subject,  together  with  an  exposition  of  the 
laws,  principles  and  processes  involved,  is  reserved  for  an- 
other volume  of  this  series.) 

But  while  man  is  in  touch  with  his  fellow  man  upon  the 
physical  plane  and  with  the  plane  of  physical  nature  gener- 
ally, his  attention  is  absorbed  upon  that  plane.  He  does  not 
feel  the*  necessity  for  employing  other  means  or  using  other 
channels  of  communication.  In  most  instances  he  does  not 
even  know  that  they  exist.  And  so  long  as  there  is  no  abso- 
lute necessity  for  the  development  of  the  finer  senses  he  con- 
tinues to  be  absorbed  with  those  more  familiar  to  him.  Just 
so  long  as  his  attention  is  thus  confined  to  a  plane  of  exist- 
ence entirely  below  that  of  the  spiritual  his  consciousness  dis- 
tinguishes nothing  higher  than  the  plane  of  his  attention. 

Other  illustrations  concerning  the  physically  blind  and 
deaf  might  be  given  which  would  carry  the  principle  still 
further,  but  this  is  a  digression  which  would  distract  atten- 
tion from  the  distinct  subject  now  under  consideration. 


HYPNOTISM  AND  THE  THREE  BRAINS        43 
CHAPTER  VII. 

HYPNOTISM  AND  THE  THREE  BRAINS. 

The  threefold  nature  of  man,  body,  spirit  and  soul,  consti- 
tutes the  fundamental  fact  from  which  it  is  possible  to  ob- 
tain a  rational  understanding  of  hypnotism  in  its  physiological, 
pathological  and  psychological  aspects. 

The  physical,  brain  is  the  primary  physical  organ  of  the 
Soul  or  essential  Intelligence.  It  is  the  central  organic  in- 
strument by  and  through  which  the  individual  intelligence  re- 
ceives impressions  from  the  outside  world  of  physical  nature. 
It  is  also  the  physical  instrument  first  employed  by  the  in- 
telligent soul  in  communicating  its  impressions,  ideas  and 
thoughts  to  other  intelligences. 

Whatever  affects  the  intelligent  faculties,  capacities  and 
powers  of  the  soul  from  the  purely  physical  plane  is  neces- 
sarily related  to  the  central  physical  organ  of  the  soul — the 
physical  brain. 

Any  adequate  understanding  of  the  physiological  action  of 
hypnosis,  therefore,  calls  for  definite  knowledge  of  the  relation 
of  the  hypnotic  process  to  the  physical  brain  itself.  This 
opens  a  broad  subject  of  the  most  profound  and  absorbing 
interest.  Its  complete  exposition  would  require  a  volume  in 
itself.  The  purpose  and  limitations  of  this  work,  however, 
forbid  more  than  a  very  brief  outline  of  the  subject,  leaving 
the  interested  student  to  complete  his  purely  physiological 
studies  by  an  examination  of  the  standard  works  upon  that 
particular  branch  of  the  subject  here  under  consideration. 

The  outline  here  given  will  nevertheless  be  sufficient,  it  is 
hoped,  to  disclose  some  of  the  popular  fallacies  in  which  the 
subject  of  Ijypnotism  has  become  involved. 

By  the  term  brain,  as  here  employed,  is  meant  that  part  of 
the  central  nervous  organism  which  is  inclosed  within  the 
cavity  of  the  human  skull.  This  organ  of  the  intelligence 
is  divided  into  three  distinct  parts.  For  the  purpose  of  this 
work  these  three  distinct  parts  or  general  divisions  consti- 


44        THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

tute  three  distinct  and  separate  brains  which,  according  to 
scientific  nomenclature,  are  designated  as  follows : 

1.  Medulla    Oblongata.     This,    to    the    uninstructed    ob- 
server, would  appear  to  be  little  more  than  the  enlarged  upper 
end  of  the  spinal  cord.     It  lies  just  inside  the  opening  through 
which  the  spinal  cord  enters  the  skull  at  its  base.     It  is  some- 
what in  the  form  of  a  pyramid,  and  is  about  one  and  one- 
fourth  inches  long  by  one  inch  broad  at  its  broadest  part, 
It  is  continuous  with  the  spinal  cord  below,  and  seems  to  be 
nothing  more  than  an  extension  of  it.     It  is  connected  above 
with  both  the  other  brains  by  a  bridge  of  nervous  tissues, 
technically  known  as  the  Pons  Varolii. 

2.  Cerebellum,  or  little  brain.     This  brain  occupies  the 
lower  back  portion  of  the  skull  cavity,  somewhat  back  of  the 
Medulla.     It  is  connected  with  the  Medulla  and  also  the  upper 
brain  by  the  bridge  above  named. 

3.  rrrrhotm    or  great  brain.     This  brain  entirely  fills  all 
the  front  and  upper  parts  of  the  skull  cavity  and  is  known  as 
the  intiUcctual  brain.     It  is  connected  below  with  both  the 
other  brains  by  the  same  bridge  of  nervous  tissues  above  re- 
ferred to. 

Each  of  these  three  brains  is  divided  into  two  parts,  right 
and  left.  In  the  Cerebrum  and  Cerebellum  these  two  halves 
are  called  hemispheres  or  lobes.  For  a  full  and  complete  de- 
scription and  illustration  of  these  organs,  together  with  special 
information  as  to  their  anatomy  and  physiology,  the  reader  is 
referred  to  any  standard,  modern  work  on  these  subjects. 

For  the  sake  of  easy  reference  the  three  brains  will  be 
hereinafter  designated  in  the  order  above  mentioned,  as  the 
primary,  secondary  and  third  brains,  the  Medulla  being  desig- 
nated as  the  primary,  the  Cerebellum  as  the  secondary  and  the, 
Cerebrum  as  the  third  brain. 

This  sequence  is  adopted  for  the  reason,  that  it  repre- 
sents the  exact  order  in  which  Nature  has  evolved  the  animal 
brain.  That  is  to  say,  the  lowest  forms  of  animal  life,  such 
for  instance  as  the  mollusk,  have  only  the  primary  brain. 
This  is  found  to  be  but  an  enlarged  terminal  section  of  a  cen- 


HYPNOTISM  AND  THE  THREE  BRAINS        45 

tral  nerve  cord.  To  this  extent  it  is  analogous  to  the  central 
nerve  organism  of  man — minus  the  second  and  third  brains. 

As  might  be  anticipated,  the  intelligence  manifested 
through  such  a  brain  is  of  the  lowest  type  and  the  most  limited 
in  its  scope  and  operation.  It  seems  to  be  confined  almost 
entirely  to  the  one  line  of  activity  which  has  to  do  with  the 
struggle  for  nutrition.  Even  here  in  this  narrowly  limited 
field  of  operation,  it  seems  to  be  little  more  than  a  reflex  of 
the  purely  physical  demand  for  food.  It  seeks  its  nourishment 
with  little  more  evidence  of  an  individualized  intelligence  than 
is  manifest  in  the  sunflower  when  it  turns  its  face  to  the  sun- 
light. It  seems  to  operate  almost  as  an  automatic  instrument 
under  the  control  of  natural  law,  as  if  it  were  so  impelled  by 
the  great  Universal  Intelligence  which  lies  back  of  all  life. 

Ascending  the  scale  of  animal  life  in  the  order  of  evolu- 
tionary development,  the  second  brain  is  slowly  evolved.  In 
proportion  as  this  fact  is  accomplished  the  individualizing  of 
intelligence  is  evidenced.  The  range  of  its  activity  is  en- 
larged. The  number  and  nature  of  the  animal  demands  in- 
crease and  become  more  and  more  complex.  But  still  the 
character  of  intelligence  is  such  as  to  suggest  that  its  opera- 
tions are  much  more  nearly  a  mere  reflex  of  the  operation  of 
natural  law  than  the  result  of  individual  intelligence  operating 
independently. 

Nature  continues  this  process  of  brain  evolution  until  the 
third,  or  intellectual  brain,  makes  its  appearance  in  higher 
forms  of  animal  life.  This  third  brain  reaches  its  climax  of 
development  in  the  highest  type  of  human  life.  While  there 
are  many  species  below  the  level  of  human  life  in  which  the 
third  brain  is  present  in  varying  degrees  of  development,  yet 
in  man  it  finds  its  highest  proportional  development.  The 
nascent  or  slumbering  intelligence  of  the  lower  animal  becomes 
the  wakeful,  self-conscious,  rational  and  voluntary  power  in 
man. 

These  facts  of  physical  science  are  of  fundamental  impor- 
tance to  a  clear  understanding  of  what  occurs  when  a  human 
being  is  subjected  to  the  blighting  power  of  hypnotic  control. 
They  will  be  more  fully  considered  in  that  connection.  A 


4«'.         THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

further  study  of  the  anatomy  and  physiology  of  the  three  hu- 
man brains  would  develop  many  other  facts  of  interest  and 
value,  but  the  limitations  of  this  work  exclude  a  more  ex- 
tended inquiry  in  this  direction. 

The  science  of  phrenology  is  based  on  the  hypothesis  that 
each  faculty  or  capacity  of  the  human  mind  manifests  itself 
through  a  special  organ  of  the  brain.  This  is  evidenced  in 
so  many  different  ways  that  it  has  come  to  be  generally  ac- 
cepted as  a  scientific  fact.  It  is  upon  this  basis  that  the  dif- 
ferent sections  of  the  human  brain  have  been  assigned  to  dif- 
ferent mental  characteristics  and  activities.  While  it  is  con- 
ceded that  phrenology  is,  as  yet,  very  far  from  being  an  exact 
science,  it  is^  nevertheless  an  undoubted  fact  that,  in  a  general 
sense,  its  groupings  of  the  organs  of  the  brain  are  correct. 

Surgery  has  in  recent  years  demonstrated  the  correctness 
of  the  phrenological  hypothesis.  It  has  definitely  traced  the 
action  of  various  organs  of  the  body  to  certain  specific  areas 
in  the  cortex  of  the  brain.  It  has  even  platted  the  surface  of 
the  brain  in  such  manner  as  to  show  what  portions  are  directly 
related  in  their  action  to  the  various  organs  of  the  body. 

Following  this  line  of  suggestion  it  is  a  fact  which  science 
has  come  to  recognize,  that  those  particular  convolutions  of 
the  third  brain  through  which  we  exercise  our  perceptive 
faculties  and  rational  powers  are  located  in  the  front  portion 
of  the  upper  brain  cavity  just  above  and  back  of  the  eyes. 
That  is  to  say,  the  organs  through  which  we  perceive  physical 
form,  size,  weight,  color,  locality,  number,  order,  events,  time, 
tune,  language,  causality  and  exercise  the  power  of  reason,  all 
lie  within  a  comparatively  small  space  mainly  above  and  just 
back  of  the  eyes.  These  are  the  organs  which  give  promi- 
nence and  elevation  to  the  forehead  of  man  as  compared  with 
that  of  the  animal. 

It  is  important  to  note  the  fact  that  through  the  action  of 
these  perceptive  organs  we  come  into  intelligent  and  rational 
touch  with  the  outside  or  objective  world.  Because  of  this 
these  are  also  frequently,  and  very  aptly,  designated  as  the 
"objective  faculties"  of  the  mind.  It  is  through  these  that 
Mr.  Hudson's  "Objective  Mind"  operates.  Through  these  the 


HYPNOTISM  AND  THE  THREE  BRAINS       47 

purely  intellectual  processes  of  the  mind  find  expression. 
When  we  observe  a  physical  object,  note  its  form,  size,  weight 
and  color,  and  then  compare  it  with  other  objects  with  which 
we  are  familiar,  and  reason  upon  its  probable  composition, 
purpose  and  value,  we  are  making  use  of  our  objective,  per- 
ceptive, and  rational  faculties  and  powers  through  these  or- 
gans. 

That  portion  of  the  skull  cavity  just  above  and  back  of 
these  perceptive  or  objective  organs  of  the  mind  is  supposed 
to  contain  the  particular  convolutions  of  the  brain  through 
which  the  emotional  nature  of  man  mainly  finds  expression. 

Those  convolutions  of  the  brain  which  occupy  the  posterior 
portion  of  the  third  brain  cavity  are  in  some  way  related  to 
the  physical  appetites,  passions  and  desires. 

The  chief  function  of  the  second  or  middle  brain  thus  far 
specifically  identified  by  physical  science  is  that  of  co-ordinat- 
ing the  motions  of  the  physical  body.  By  this  is  meant  that 
process  by  and  through  which  the  entire  body,  as  a  single 
instrument,  is  brought  under  control  of  the  individual  will. 

For  instance :  In  the  process  of  walking  many  individual 
muscles  are  brought  into  action.  The  power  of  the  will  to  so 
co-ordinate  the  action  of  all  the  different  muscles  as  to  direct 
the  body,  as  a  whole,  in  the  desired  manner,  is  referable  to  the 
second  brain. 

Among  the  most  important  functions  of  the  primary  brain 
(the  Medulla),  thus  far  fully  identified  by  physical  science, 
attention  is  called  to  the  following: 

1.  It  acts  as  a  conductor  of  both  motor  and  sensory  im- 
pressions from  all  parts  of  the  body. 

2.  It    constitutes    a    reflex    center    for    numerous    special 
nerves   governing    respiration,    circulation,    deglutition,    the 
voice,  etc. 

In  view  of  that  which  follows,  it  is  of  special  interest  to 
recall  the  historic  fact  that  among  the  ancients  the  primary 
brain,  now  known  to  science  as  the  Medulla  Oblongata,  was 
believed  to  be  the  seat  of  the  soul.  A  study  of  the  physiology 
of  hypnotism  will  disclose  the  interesting  fact  that  this  ancient 
belief  was  not  wholly  without  foundation. 


48         THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

Although  the  foregoing  is  but  a  mere  suggestion  of  the 
anatomy  and  physiology  of  the  human  brain,  all  too  brief  and 
incomplete,  yet  it  may  serve  to  furnish  the  foundation  for  a 
more  definite  understanding  of  the  physiological  action  of  the 
forces,  activities  and  processes  involved  in  the  exercise  of 
hypnotic  control. 


PHYSIOLOGY  OF  HYPNOTISM 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  PHYSIOLOGY  AND  PATHOLOGY  OF  HYPNOTISM. 

It  is  important  to  bear  in  mind  that  there  are  all  shades 
and  degrees  of  hypnosis,  ranging  from  the  lightest  form  of 
hypnotic  influence  through  all  the  deepening  stages  to  the  most 
profound  state  of  complete  functional  suspension  of  the  phys- 
ical organism. 

In  the  incipient  stages  the  subject  appears  to  be  almost 
entirely  conscious  of  all  that  is  transpiring  about  him  on  the 
physical  plane.  But  as  the  state  is  intensified  he  gradually 
loses  control  of  his  independent  faculties  and  capacities  as  well 
as  his  voluntary  powers,  and  his  impressions  from  the  outside, 
physical  world  about  him.  In  the  deeper  state  of  complete 
lethargy  or  catalepsy  his  consciousness  is  wholly  out  of  touch 
with  his  physical  sensory  organism.  In  this  condition  he  be- 
comes an  automatic  instrument  under  the  control  of  the  op- 
erator's will. 

What  physiological  transformation  or  psychic  inversion 
has  occurred  to  produce  this  abnormal  condition? 

Science  has  been  able  to  demonstrate  that  the  primary 
physiological  action  of  the  hypnotic  process  is  registered  upon 
the  physical  brain  of  the  subject.  Moreover,  it  operates  upon 
the  physical  brain  in  the  reverse  order  of  its  evolutionary  de- 
velopment. That  is  to  say,  its  first  apparent  effects  are  regis- 
tered upon  the  third  or  intellectual  brain,  its  deeper  effects 
upon  the  secondary  brain  and  its  final  effects  upon  the  primary 
brain,  or  Medulla  Oblongata. 

More  than  this,  it  is  also  found  that  the  process  has  its  in- 
ception in  the  extreme  front  portion  of  the  third  brain  in  the 
region  of  the  physical  organs  of  perception.  Thence,  as  the 
hypnotic  state  deepens,  it  sweeps  backward  through  the  third 
brain,  downward  through  the  second  brain,  and  in  its  final 
stages  is  communicated  to  the  primary  brain. 

Every  student  of  hypnotism  is  more  or  less  familiar  with 
the  data  bearing  upon  this  phase  of  the  subject,  and  will  rec- 


50        THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

ognize  their  meaning  and  value  as  they  are  presented  in  this 
connection,  as  follows: 

1.  One  of  the  most  invariable  manifestations  which  fol- 
low the  inception  of  the  hypnotic  process  is  the  inability  of 
the  subject  to  control  the  objective  and  perceptive  faculties 
of  the  mind.     His  physical  sensory  organism  becomes  con- 
fused in  its  reports  from  the  objective  world  of  physical  na- 
ture. The  subject  begins  to  receive  mixed  and  imperfect  im- 
pressions. 

But  when  these  impressions  are  analyzed  they  are  found 
to  be  a  composite  of  those  received  through  the  physical  sen- 
sorv  organs  from  his  physical  environment,  and  those  which 
are  produced  by  the  mental  impulses  of  the  operator's  will.      r, 
To  these  are  also  often  added  the  results  of  imagination.     Ti. 
clearly  indicates  that  the  hypnotic  process  interferes  with  the 
natural  action  of  those  organs  of  the  physical  brain  through 
which  the  objective  and  perceptive  faculties  of  the  mind  op- 
erate. 

2.  As  the  hypnotic  condition  is  intensified  those  convolu- 
tions of  the  third  brain  which  lie  immediately  above  and  back 
of  the  eyes  pass  into  a  state  of  complete  anaesthesia,  or  tem- 
porary paralysis.     As  a  natural  result  the  voluntary  percep- 
tion of  the  objective,  physical  world  is  destroyed.     Conscious- 
ness is  driven  backward  from  the  objective  and  rational  plane. 
The  will  of  the  operator  comes  into  partial  control  of  tire 
channels  through  which  the  consciousness  of  the  supject  is 
reached  upon  the  spiritual  plane. 

However  remarkable  this  statement  may  appear  to  the  un- 
initiated, it  is  nevertheless  susceptible  of  scientific  demonstra- 
tion. There  are  many  collateral  evidences  of  its  truth  with 
which  every  student  of  the  subject  is  already  familiar 

For  illustration :  When  this  stage  of  hypnosis  has  been  at- 
tained the  operator  is  able  to  produce  many  and  various  effects 
upon  the  consciousness  of  his  subject  by  simple  impulses  of 
his  will.  In  the  language  of  no  less  an  authority  than  Prof. 
John  Duncan  Quackenbos,  of  Columbia  University,  "He  (the 
hypnotized  subject)  is  sensitive  only  to  what  the  operator 
tells  him  he  is  sensitive  to,  and  is  wholly  subject,  so  far  as 


)  PHYSIOLOGY  OF  HYPNOTISM  5lj 

his  mental  operations  and  physical  actions  are  concerned,  to 
the  volition  of  his  hypnotist.  He  sees,  hears,  tastes,  smells 
and  feels  what  the  operator  says  that  he  sees,  hears,  tastes, 
smells  and  feels — and  nothing  else.  For  the  time  being,  his 
individuality  is  surrendered  to  the  person  who  has  hypnotized 
him." 

The  operator,  for  instance,  wishes  the  subject'  to  obtain 
the  impression  that  he  is  giving  him  an  apple  to  eat.  Al- 
though the  physical  eyes  of  the  subject  are  wide  open  and  ap- 
parently looking  straight  at  the  object,  instead  of  an  apple 
the  operator  hands  him  a  piece  of  wood,  or  a  book,  or  substi- 
tutes any  other  object  which  happens  to  be  handy.  The  sub- 
ject invariably  accepts  whatever  is  given  him  under  the  impres- 
sion that  it  is  an  apple,  and  unless  restrained  will  proceed  to 
eat  it,  or  endeavor  to  do  so,  and  will  manifest  every  evidence 
of  perfect  satisfaction  in  the  process.  The  physical  sensory 
organs  being  in  a  state  of  anaesthesia,  or  temporary  paralysis, 
convey  no  impression  whatever  to  his  consciousness.  How, 
then,  does  he  receive  the  impression  of  the  apple,  if  not 
through  the  physical  sensory  organs? 

The  answer  is  that  it  is  projected  upon  his  consciousness 
by  the  mental  impulse  of  the  hypnotist,  through  the  spiritual 
sensory  organs  of  the  subject.  In  this  condition  the  spiritual 
sensory  organism  of  the  subject  is  within  the  power  and  under 
the  domination  and  control  of  the  operator's  will,  and  as  an 
automatic  instrument  responds  to  its  impulses. 

One  phase  of  this  experiment  might  appear,  at  first  view, 
to  contradict  this  statement.  For  instance,  it  will  be  observed 
that  the  operator  speaks  to  the  subject  just  as  he  would  do 
if  the  subject  were  wide  awake  and  in  full  possession  of  all 
his  physical  senses.  He  tells  him  in  spoken  words  which 
anyone  in  the  room  might  hear,  that  the  object  he  presents 
to  him  is  an  apple.  The  subject  also  acts  just  as  he  might 
be  expected  to  do  if  he  had  heard  the  spoken  words  through 
the  medium  of  his  physical  sensory  organs  of  hearing.  The 
natural  presumption,  therefore,  would  be  that  he  did  so  hear 
them.  Such,  however,  is  not  the  case  wherever  hypnosis  has 
reached  the  stage  here  referred  to. 


52         THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

A  simple  illustration  will  be  sufficient  to  prove  the  accu- 
racy of  this  statement.  Let  the  subject's  physical  ears  be 
completely  muffled  in  such  manner  as  to  entirely  shut  out  all 
physical  sound  of  the  operator's  voice.  Repeat  the  experiment 
under  these  conditions  and  it  will  be  found  that  the  subject 
will  hear  just  the  same  and  will  obtain  exactly  the  same  im- 
pression as  before. 

Or,  reverse  the  process.  Instead  of  muffling  the  sub- 
ject's physical  ears  to  shut  off  the  physical  sound  of  the  opera- 
tor's voice,  let  a  dozen  or  more  of  the  spectators  present  (or 
a  hundred  for  that  matter)  create  all  the  noise  and  confusion 
possible.  Let  them  carry  this  to  a  point  where  it  is  impossi- 
ble for  anyone  in  the  room  to  hear  a  word  the  operator  says. 
Under  these  conditions  repeat  the  experiment.  It  will  be 
found  that  exactly  the  same  results  will  obtain.  The  physical 
noise  which  would  otherwise  drown  the  operator's  voice  will 
have  not  the  least  effect  upon  the  subject.  He  will  seemingly 
hear  every  word  the  operator  says  and  will  implicitly  obey 
his  every  command. 

Or,  again :  When  the  hypnotist  has  acquired  complete  con- 
trol of  all  the  channels  through  which  the  consciousness  of  the 
subject  is  approached,  he  may  convey  the  same  impression 
without  an  audible  word.  In  this  case  it  is  not  even  necessary 
for  him  to  present  to  the  subject  a  physical  object  of  any 
kind.  A  simple  impulse  of  the  will  is  sufficient. 

Every  one  who  is  at  all  familiar  with  the  processes  of  tel- 
epathy will  understand  how  it  is  possible  to  convey  an  exact 
impression,  or  thought,  or  impulse  of  the  will,  to  the  con- 
sciousness of  another  quite  independently  of  the  physical 
senses.  Independent  telepathy,  however,  must  not  be  con- 
fused with  the  hypnotic  process,  for  it  is  no  more  related  to 
hypnotism  than  it  is  to  the  ordinary  process  of  telegraphy. 

It  should  be  remembered  that  an  impulse  of  the  mind  for- 
mulated in  a  thought  is  a  wholly  different  thing  from  the 
words  in  which  that  thought  is  clothed.  It  requires  the 
spoken  words  to  convey  an  exact  thought  from  one  mind  to 
another  through  the  instrumentality  of  the  physical  auditory 
nerve.  In  like  manner,  it  requires  the  printed  letters  and 


PHYSIOLOGY  OF  HYPNOTISM 63 

words  to  convey  the  thought  of  a  writer  to  the  mind  of  his 
reader  through  the  agency  of  the  physical  optic  nerve.  Al- 
though words  are  necessary  in  both  instances,  nevertheless,  the 
words  themselves  do  not  constitute  the  thought  in  either  case. 
They  do  not  even  constitute  any  part  of  the  thought. 

In  the  first  instance  they  are  merely  a  combination  of  phys- 
ical sounds  so  arranged  and  modulated  as  to  convey  to  the 
listener's  consciousness  through  his  physical  sense  of  hearing 
the  thought  in  the  mind  of  the  speaker.  In  the  other  they 
are  only  a  set  of  physical  signs  so  arranged  as  to  convey 
the  same  thought  from  one  mind  to  another  through  the  phys- 
ical sense  of  sight.  In  both  cases  they  are  simply  used  as 
instruments  or  vehicles  for  carrying  thoughts  from  one  intel- 
ligence to  another. 

Moreover,  it  is  a  scientific  fact  which  anyone  may  demon- 
strate in  course  of  time,  under  proper  instruction,  that  the 
impulse  of  the  human  soul  formulated  into  a  definite  thought 
is  a  force.  This  force,  under  proper  conditions,  may  be  im- 
pressed upon  the  consciousness  of  another  intelligent  soul 
without  the  aid  of  words  either  spoken,  written  or  printed. 
This  may  be  done  without  the  use  of  the  physical  sensory  or- 
gans at  all.  It  may  be  accomplished  through  spiritual  agencies 
exclusively.  And  the  channels  through  which  this  may  be 
accomplished  are  the  spiritual  sensory  organs  which  are  an- 
alogous to  the  physical  sensory  organs  in  both  number  and 
character,  except  that  they  operate  upon  a  higher  plane  of 
refinement  and  vibratory  activity. 

This  is  precisely  what  occurs  in  that  stage  of  hypnosis 
above  referred  to.  The  physical  sensory  organism  is,  for  the 
time  being,  completely  paralyzed.  It  conveys  no  impressions 
whatever  to  the  imprisoned  consciousness  of  the  subject.  In 
this  condition  his  spiritual  sensory  organism  becomes -a  mere 
instrument  under  the  control  of  the  hypnotist's  will.  All 
the  channels  of  ingress  to  the  subject's  consciousness,  there- 
fore, are  under  control  of  the  operator,  who  is,  for  the  time 
being,  an  absolute  censor,  possessing  unlimited  authority  and 
power.  Complete  fascination  or  enchantment  of  the  sub- 
ject's consciousness  is  the  result.  He  sees  nothing,  hears 


54         THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

nothing,  feels  nothing;  is,  in  fact,  conscious  of  nothing  what- 
soever save  the  dominating  presence  and  power  of  his  hyp- 
notist's will. 

A  careful  study  and  analysis  of  this  condition  of  the  sub- 
ject and  of  the  relation  which  his  consciousness  sustains  to 
the  will  of  the  operator  will  reveal  many  of  the  seeming  mys- 
teries of  hypnotic  control. 

For  instance,  the  hypnotic  subject  in  the  deep  lethargic 
condition  is  insensible  to  physical  pain.  In  this  condition  the 
most  painful  surgical  operations  may  he  performed  upon  him 
without  the  least  indication  of  physical  suffering. 

What  physiological  action  or  condition  is  responsible  for 
this  startling  result?  The  answer  is,  paralysis  of  the  physical 
sensory  organism,  by  means  of  which  the  channels  of  con- 
sciousness upon  the  physical  plane  are  entirely  cut  off. 

The  question  has  also  been  often  asked  by  hypnotists  them- 
selves, why  it  is  that  in  this  condition  the  subject  invariably 
accepts  without  question  every  suggestion  or  impression  com- 
ing to  his  consciousness  from  the  mind  of  the  hypnotist. 
/  Often  the  operator  has  been  surprised  to  find  that  his  unex- 
pressed thoughts  and  impulses  have  been  indelibly  impressed 
upon  the  consciousness  of  his  subject.  For  instance,  the 
author  above  quoted,  at  page  269  of  his  recent  work  on  hyp- 
notism says: 

"I  have  often  been  startled  by  having  patients  tell  me  days  after 
hypnotization  of  feelings  and  incentives  to  action  of  which  I  had  said 
nothing,  but  which  I  knew  to  be  in  the  background  of  my  conscious- 
ness at  the  time  of  treatment." 

It  is  worth  while  to  pause  and  contemplate  for  a  moment 
what  must  have  been  the  results  had  the  impulses  and  in- 
centives to  action  "in  the  background"  of  the  operator's  con- 
sciousness at  the  time  of  treatment  been  of  a  vicious  and 
immoral  character. 

This  phase  of  the  subject  will  explain  one  of  the  most 
common  fallacies  of  hypnotists  who  claim  to  have  made 
many  experiments  which  tend  to  show  that  a  subject  cannot 
be  impelled  by  hypnotic  processes  to  commit  a  crime.  The 
experiments,  when  fully  understood,  prove  the  exact  reverse 
of  the  claim  they  make. 


PHYSIOLOGY  OF  HYPNOTISM 55 

For  instance,  the  average  experiment  is  something  as 
follows:  The  subject  is  first  hypnotized.  He  is  then  strongly 
impressed  with  the  "suggestion"  that  a  certain  person  in  the 
audience  has  deeply  wronged  him  and  deserves  to  be  killed. 
He  is  then  given  a  knife  and  commanded  to  kill  the  person 
so  designated.  He  proceeds  to  carry  out  the  command.  He 
even  carries  it  to  the  point  of  stealthily  approaching  the  vic- 
tim and  raising  the  knife  over  him.  But  he  will  not  strike 
the  fatal  blow.  Why  is  this?  Why  does  he  stop  at  this 
critical  point  in  the  experiment? 

In  the  light  of  the  facts  above  stated,  the  answer  is  simple. 
The  subject  is  impelled  by  the  real  motive  and  intention  in 
the  mind  of  his  hypnotist,  and  not  by  the  spoken  word  of 
command.  In  this  condition  and  relation  words  mean  noth- 
ing to  the  subject,  unless  they  convey  the  real  intent  of  the 
soul  that  projects  them.  In  fact,  the  subject  does  not  hear 
the  words  of  command  at  all.  He  receives  only  the  conscious 
intent  of  his  hypnotist. 

In  other  words,  a  hypnotist  cannot  possibly  project  a  mur- 
derous intent  or  impulse  unless  he  actually  feels  it.  He  can- 
not inspire  his  subject  to  commit  a  murder  unless  he  has 
murder  in  his  own  soul.  As  the  author  above  quoted  very 
aptly  expresses  it,  he  cannot  project  the  impulse  of  murder 
upon  his  subject  unless  there  is  "in  the  background"  of  his 
own  consciousness  the  criminal  impulse  which  inspires 
murder. 

In  all  the  public  so-called  tests,  such  as  the  one  above 
suggested,  the  hypnotist  does  not  intend  that  his  subject  shall 
carry  the  experiment  to  the  final  act  of  murder.  There  is 
"in  the  background"  of  his  consciousness  all  the  time  the  pro- 
tecting reservation.  The  real  intent  in  his  soul  is  that  the 
subject  shall  carry  the  experiment  to  the  very  point  where  he 
stops.  He  does  not  intend  that  he  shall  actually  strike  the 
fatal  blow.  He  could  not  inspire  such  an  act  unless  he  were 
a  murderer  at  heart  and  fully  intended  that  his  subject  should 
execute  the  murderous  design  in  his  own  soul.  The  subject 
is  impelled  by  the  real  impulse  in  the  soul  of  his  hypnotist 
and  not  by  the  spoken  words  of  command. 


5f>         THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

Let  the  operator  once  project  the  real  murderous  impulse 
upon  the  consciousness  of  his  subject  under  the  conditions 
named  and  murder  will  be  the  result  in  every  instance. 

The  rationale  of  these  wonderful  results  is  not  difficult  to 
understand  in  the  light  of  the  foregoing  analysis.  In  his 
normal  state  man  depends  upon  his  physical  senses  to  furnish 
him  information  as  to  his  immediate  physical  environment. 
In  most  instances  he  has  not  yet  come  to  know  that  he  has  a 
spiritual  organism.  It  has  never  been  called  into  action  by 
him  in  such  manner  as  to  identify  it  to  his  consciousness 
as  something  apart  from  his  physical.  But  as  the  physical 
sensory  organism  yields  to  the  paralyzing  effects  of  the  hyp- 
notic process,  the  spiritual  continues  its  activity  to  a  certain 
extent  independently  of  the  physical.  This  is  true  even  in 
the  final  stages  of  hypnosis.  In  this  partial  independence  of 
the  spiritual  organism  it  takes  the  place  of  the  physical,  for 
the  time  being,  in  its  relation  to  the  consciousness  of  the 
subject.  For  the  time,  therefore,  it  is  the  only  channel  through 
which  he  receives  impressions  from  without.  Whatever  he 
receives  through  this  channel,  therefore,  is  as  much  a  verity 
to  his  consciousness  as  are  the  impressions  which  come  to  him 
through  the  physical  sensory  organs  in  his  normal  condition, 
and  are  accepted  by  him  just  as  if  they  were  of  physical  origin 
and  reached  him  through  the  physical  sensory  organism. 

The  impulses  of  the  operator's  will  are  as  much  a  fact  to 
him  in  this  condition  of  complete  subjectivity  as  are  the  ob- 
jects of  Nature  which  impress  the  physical  sensory  organism 
in  his  natural,  waking  condition.  Every  thought  of  the  oper- 
ator, every  impulse  of  his  will,  is  a  thing,  something  which 
makes  its  impress  upon  the  subject's  consciousness  as  defi- 
nitely as  do  the  tangible  objects  of  Nature  under  other  con- 
ditions. Its  integrity  is  no  more  a  matter  of  d6ubt  to  him 
in  this  state  than  is  the  sight  of  any  physical  object  with 
the  physical  eyes  in  his  normal,  waking  condition. 

In  the  state  and  condition  here  referred  to  the  mind  and 
will  of  the  hypnotist  take  the  place  of  the  physical  world  in 
their  relation  to  the  consciousness  of  the  subject.  They,  in 
truth,  constitute  the  only  world  with  which  the  subject  is,  for 


57 


the  time  being,  in  conscious  touch.  It  is,  therefore,  not 
strange  but  perfectly  natural  that  "he  sees,  hears,  tastes, 
smells  and  feels  what  the  operator  says  that  he  sees,  hears, 
tastes,  smells  and  feels — and  nothing  else." 

The  author  just  quoted  unwittingly  explains  the  reason 
for  this  when  he  further  says  that  "for  the  time  being  his 
individuality  is  surrendered  to  the  person  who  has  hypnotized 
him." 

This  is  but  another  method  of  saying  that  the  operator 
has  obtained  absolute  control  of  all  the  active  channels 
through  which  the  conscious  intelligence  of  the  subject  may 
be  reached  and  impressed.  These  channels  are,  for  the  time 
being,  the  spiritual,  sensory  organs.  The  operator  who  con- 
trols these  channels  is  in  position  to  impress  upon  the  con- 
sciousness of  the  subject  whatever  mental  impulses  he  may 
desire.  He  is  likewise  in  position  to  enforce  the  execution 
of  his  will  through  the  same  channels. 

During  the  continuance  of  this  relation  his  mind  and  will 
are  the  sole  governing  factors  in  the  conscious  life  of  the  sub- 
ject. The  only  impulses  the  subject  has,  for  good  or  ill,  while 
in  this  state  are  those  which  come  to  him  from  the  will  of 
his  hypnotist.  He  can  no  more  disobey  the  will  of  the  oper- 
ator, during  this  relation,  than  he  can  disobey  his  own  will 
in  his  normal  condition.  This  follows  from  the  fact  that  the 
only  will  he  ha§  during  the  continuance  of  the  hypnotic  rela- 
tion, at  this  particular  stage,  is  the  will  of  the  hypnotist  to 
whom  "his  individuality  is  surrendered." 

3.  The  final  stage  of  hypnosis  to  which  reference  need 
here  be  made  is  one  seldom  successfully  produced  by  our 
western  practitioners.  It  involves  the  complete  suspension  of 
physical  animation.  In  this  state  every  function  of  the  physi- 
cal organism  is  wholly  arrested.  Even  respiration  ceases. 
Circulation  stops.  The  body,  in  some  instances,  becomes  cold 
and  rigid.  To  every  outward  appearance  physical  death  has 
actually  occurred. 

In  its  physiological  aspect  complete  functional  suspension 
of  the  physical  organism  has  occurred.  In  its  downward 
sweep  through  the  central  nervous  organism  the  hypnotic 


58         THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

process  has  at  last  overwhelmed  the  primary  brain  and  the 
involuntary  or  reflex  centers  of  nervous  energy.  In  this  con- 
dition the  physical  body  is  no  longer  an  active  part  of  the 
individual. 

Remarkable  as  this  may  all  appear,  those  who  have  been 
reckless  enough  to  carry  their  experiments  to  this  point  have 
been  astonished  to  find  that,  notwithstanding  this  complete 
suspension  of  all  functional  activity  of  the  physical  organism, 
the  subject  is  even  more  intently  conscious  of  every  thought, 
intention  and  mental  impulse  of  the  hypnotist  than  he  is  dur- 
ing any  of  the  less  profound  states  of  hypnosis  which  pre- 
cede this  condition. 

This  has  never  been  satisfactorily  explained  by  the  School 
of  Physical  Science.  Indeed,  it  does  not  seem  to  be  con- 
sistent with  their  purely  materialistic  view  of  the  relation  of 
mind  to  matter.  To  those,  however,  who  understand  the 
three-fold  nature  of  man,  consisting  of  physical  body,  spirit- 
ual body  and  intelligent  soul,  there  is  a  scientific  explanation. 

In  proportion  as  the  consciousness  of  the  subject  is  acted 
upon  through  the  physical  organism,  his  attention  is  absorbed 
in  the  impressions  made  through  those  dominant  channels, 
and  correspondingly  diverted  from  all  other  impressions.  But 
as  these  physical  organs  are  silenced  and  gradually  paralyzed 
by  the  power  of  hypnosis  the  impulses  which  reach  his  con- 
sciousness through  the  spiritual  sensory  organism  become 
more  and  more  distinct  to  him.  The  relatively  stronger  of  the 
two  sets  of  impulses  is  the  one  which  absorbs  the  attention 
so  long  as  its  dominance  continues. 

When  the  final  state  of  profound  hypnosis  above  referred 
to  has  been  attained  the  physical  world  is  entirely  cut  off 
from  the  consciousness  of  the  subject.  All  impressions  from 
that  source  cease.  In  this  condition,  therefore,  there  is  noth- 
ing to  divert  his  attention  from  the  impressions  which  now 
reach  him  through  the  spiritual  sensory  organism  alone. 

But  these  channels  of  ingress  to  the  imprisoned  conscious- 
ness of  the  subject  are  under  control  of  the  hypnotist.  He 
therefore  commands  the  absolute  and  undivided  attention  of 
his  subject.  Hence  it  is  that  in  exact  proportion  as  this  state 


PHYSIOLOGY  OF  HYPNOTISM 69 

of  hypnosis  is  attained  the  consciousness  of  the  subject  re- 
sponds to  the  will  of  the  operator,  and  his  attention  becomes 
more  and  more  completely  riveted  upon  all  that  the  hypnotist 
conveys  to  him. 

This  will  also  explain  why  it  is  that  the  hypnotist  can, 
by  a  simple  command  or  impulse  of  the  will,  waken  his  sub- 
ject from  even  this  profound  condition  of  seeming  physical 
death.  His  ability  to  thus  waken  his  subject  is  at  all  times 
commensurate  with  the  degree  of  control  he  is  able  to  ex- 
ercise over  him.  If,  perchance,  in  the  condition  above  re- 
ferred to,  some  accident  should  occur  to  break  the  control  of 
the  hypnotist,  the  physical  death  of  the  subject  would  in- 
stantly follow.  For,  at  this  stage  of  hypnosis,  the  operator's 
will  is  the  only  power  in  existence  that  holds  the  two  organ- 
isms together. 

In  this  state  of  complete  functional  suspension  of  the 
physical  organism  it  is  even  possible  for  the  operator  to  force 
a  complete  temporary  separation  of  the  two  organisms,  and 
by  the  power  of  his  will  alone  unite  them  again.  In  such 
case  he  is  able  to  send  the  temporarily  liberated  spiritual  body 
and  soul  of  his  subject  to  distant  points  and  there  enforce 
implicit  obedience  to  his  commands  within  certain  well  de- 
fined limitations.  He  may  thus  obtain  definite  information 
concerning  matters  at  a  distance  of  which  he  is  at  the  time 
entirely  ignorant. 

Before  passing  to  the  consideration  of  another  phase  of 
the  subject  attention  is  here  called  to  the  interesting  and 
significant  fact  that  the  three  human  brains  correspond  to  the 
triune  nature  of  man,  body,  spirit  and  soul.  The  action  of 
hypnosis  upon  the  three  physical  brains  has  a  corresponding 
correlative  effect  upon  the  three  sides  of  his  triune  nature. 
This  phase  of  the  subject  will  be  more  fully  considered  in 
subsequent  chapters. 

From  the  foregoing  exposition  of  the  subject,  the  physi- 
ological action  of  hypnosis,  in  so  far  as  it  has  been  here  con- 
sidered, may  be  very  briefly  summarized  as  follows : 

i.  Hypnosis  acts  both  directly  and  indirectly  upon  the 
central  nervous  organism,  the  three  physical  brains. 


60        THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

2.  Its  action  upon  this  central  nervous  organism  produces 
anaesthesia  and  paralysis. 

3.  .  Its  effects  upon  the  central  nervous  organism  are  first 
registered  upon  that  part  of  the  third    or    intellectual  brain 
through  which  the  objective  and  perceptive  faculties  of  the 
mind  operate. 

4.  In  its  progressive  action  hypnosis  proceeds  from  this 
point  backward  through  the  third  brain,  downward  through 
the  second  brain,  and  finally  through  the  primary  brain,  until 
all  parts  of  the  physical  nervous  organism  are  brought  under 
its  complete  control. 

5.  Its  impelling  force  is  the  will  of  the  hypnotist. 

It  will  be  observed  that  consideration  of  the  subject  has 
been  strictly  confined  thus  far  to  such  physiological  action  of 
the  hypnotic  process  as  may  become  apparent  to  everyone 
who  has  either  experienced  its  results  or  been  in  position 
to  observe  them. 

The  more  deeply  scientific  subject  of  the  cellular  action 
of  hypnosis  has  been  purposely  omitted  for  the  following  rea- 
sons: 

1.  Its  consideration  leads  directly  into  the  field  of  tech- 
nical scientific  treatment. 

2.  Such  treatment  of  the  subject  at  this  time  could  ap- 
peal to  none  but  those   few  scientists    who    happen    to    be 
directly  interested  in  the  technical  study  of  psychic  phenomena. 
It  would,  in  all  human  probability,  require  a  century,  through 
this  channel,  to  bring  the  matter  to  the  attention  of  the  great 
world  of  humanity  that  needs  to  know  the  simpler  facts  and 
principles  for  self -protection. 

3.  The  purpose  of  this  work  is  to  reduce  the  subject  to 
its  simplest  possible  form.     By  so  doing  it  is  hoped  to  bring 
it  within  the  easy  comprehension  as  well  as  the  personal  in- 
terest of  every  man,  woman  and  child  who  shall  be  able  to 
read  and  understand  the  simplest  expression  of  the  English 
language. 

Professional  hypnotism  has  progressed  to  the  point  where 
it  has  become  a  most  serious  menace  to  individuals  and  to 
society.  In  one  form  or  another  it  now  threatens  almost  every 


PHYSIOLOGY  OF  HYPNOTISM 61 

home  within  the  limits  of  our  country.  The  dangers  which 
lurk  beneath  the  murky  folds  of  its  black  mantle  are  many 
and  threatening.  They  are  fascinating  and  seductive.  They 
present  themselves  in  every  charming  disguise  to  mislead  the 
innocent  and  deceive  the  thoughtful. 

It  is  hoped  that  this  work,  in  its  simplicity,  directness 
and  freedom  from  all  technicality,  may  carry  into  many 
homes  the  needed  warning,  together  with  a  practical  under- 
standing of  the  principles  and  processes  involved. 


62         THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 
CHAPTER  IX. 

" AUTO-HYPNOTISM"   A   MISNOMER. 

There  is  no  such  thing  as  "Auto-Hypnotism." 

The  term  is  a  misnomer.  "Auto"  means  "Self,"  and 
"Auto-Hypnotism,"  therefore,  means,  in  its  literal  significa- 
tion, "Self-Hypnotism." 

This  would  convey  the  impression  that  it  is  possible  for 
an  individual  to  hypnotize  himself.  This,  in  fact,  seems  to 
be  the  impression  which  those  who  employ  the  term  intend 
to  convey.  It  is,  at  any  rate,  the  impression  which  the  term 
conveys  to  the  world,  and  it  is  the  impression  the  public  in 
general  has  obtained. 

Self-Hypnotism,  or  "Auto-Hypnotism,"  however,  is  a 
scientific  impossibility. 

Those  who  are  responsible  for  injecting  this  term  into 
the  scientific  nomenclature  of  the  age  undoubtedly  felt  them- 
selves justified  in  so  doing.  But  this  does  not  alter  the  fact 
that  the  term  is  an  improper  and  misleading  one,  and  is  re- 
sponsible for  having  introduced  into  the  scientific  analysis  of 
hypnotism  a  fiction  pure  and  simple.  It  does  not  obliterate 
the  further  fact  that  this  particular  term  has  only  served  to 
add  to  the  confusion  already  existing,  and  has  wholly  failed 
to  advance  the  interests  of  science  or  education. 

There  is  no  desire  nor  intention  to  deny,  evade  nor  ignore 
any  of  the  facts  upon  which  the  writers  and  authorities  have 
come  to  feel  themselves  justified  in  employing  the  term.  It 
is,  indeed,  a  well-known  fact  which  has  been  often  demon- 
strated, long  before  this  particular  term  was  ever  employed, 
that  it  is  possible  for  an  individual  to  throw  himself  into  a 
condition  of  artificial  sleep,  somewhat  analogous  to  somnam- 
bulism. It  is  this  self-induced,  artificial  sleep  that  has  been 
improperly  designated  "Auto-Hypnotism." 

This,  however,  is  not  hypnotism  in  any  form. 

A  simple  illustration  will  be  sufficient  to  make  the  proper 
distinction  clearly  apparent.  For  the  purpose  of  this  illus- 
tration, let  it  be  supposed  that  A  is  the  owner  and  possessor 


"  AUTO-HYPNOTISM  "  A  MISNOMER  63 

of  a  magnificent  jewel.  Its  value  to  him  exceeds  that  of  all 
his  other  material  possessions  combined.  But  it  is  his,  and 
no  matter  what  its  intrinsic  value  may  be,  he  therefore  has 
the  power,  if  not  the  right,  to  risk  it  or  dispose  of  it  as  he 
will.  He  may  even  recklessly  throw  it  away,  and  no  one 
dares  interfere. 

Following  a  whim  of  his  nature,  he  determines  to  try  an 
experiment  with  this  jewel  to  determine,  in  his  own  mind, 
whether  or  not  there  are  burglars  in  the  neighborhood.  It  is 
a  hazardous  experiment,  so  far  as  his  possession  of  the  jewel 
is  concerned,  and  one  which  few  men  in  their  right  minds 
would  indulge.  But  it  possesses  the  merit  of  affording  a  very 
effectual  and  satisfactory  test  as  to  the  question  to  be  deter- 
mined. 

Before  retiring  for  the  night  he  takes  this  precious  jewel 
from  its  safety-deposit  vault,  unwraps  it  and  places  it  in  a 
conspicuous  place  in  the  middle  of  the  table.  He  then  moves 
the  table  near  the  front  door,  where  it  will  be  the  first  object 
seen  on  entering.  He  unlocks  the  door,  so  that  anyone  who 
will  may  open  it,  and  then  retires  to  a  distant  part  of  the 
house  and  deliberately  goes  to  sleep. 

But  what  is  the  meaning  of  this  strange  and  abnormal  pro- 
ceeding? Only  this,  that  A  has  simply  opened  the  way  to  a 
most  easy  and  successful  burglary,  nothing  more.  He  has 
prepared  a  most  tempting  situation  which  will  surely  induce 
the  first  unscrupulous  individual  who  learns  of  it  to  enter 
his  home  and  commit  a  crime  against  the  laws  of  the  land. 

But  it  is  just  possible  that  he  may  sleep  soundly  through- 
out the  night  and  waken  to  find  that  his  jewel  remains  undis- 
turbed. If  so,  he  would  seem  to  be  justified  in  assuming  that 
his  premises  have  not  been  invaded  by  burglars  during  the 
night.  At  least,  no  burglary  has  thus  far  been  committed.  His 
property  is  still  there.  This,  however,  would  appear  to  be 
the  result  of  his  good  luck  rather  than  that  of  his  good  sense. 

But  he  repeats  the  experiment  the  following  night,  and 
upon  waking  the  next  morning  finds  that  his  jewel  is  gone. 
During  the  night,  while  sleep  has  encompassed  him  and  shut 
his  consciousness  away  from  the  objective  plane  of  the  physi- 


64         THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

cal  world,  someone  has  entered  his  home  and  taken  unlawful 
possession  of  his  property.  In  other  words,  a  crime  has  been 
committed.  The  name  by  which  this  particular  crime  is  known 
to  law  is  "Burglary." 

It  will  be  observed  that  so  long  as  no  second  party  en- 
tered upon  the  scene  the  crime  of  burglary  could  not  be  com- 
mitted. That  is  to  say,  it  is  a  moral,  legal  and  scientific  im- 
possibility for  a  man  to  commit  this  particular  crime  against 
himself. 

To  accomplish  the  crime  of  burglary  it  is  necessary- 

1.  That  there  be  at  least  two  parties  to  the  transaction. 

2.  That  one  of  these  enter  upon  the  premises  of  the  other. 

3.  That  the  party  so  entering  take  unlawful  possession  of 
personal  property  which  does  not  belong  to  him,  or  which 
belongs  to  the  owner  of  the  invaded  premises. 

In  like  manner,  the  individual  who  throws  himself  into 
the  artificial  sleep  which  writers  and  authorities  have  erro- 
neously designated  "Auto-Hypnotism"  has  done  nothing  more 
than  create  conditions  which  make  hypnotism  an  easy  pos- 
sibility. 

He  may,  perchance,  put  himself  in  this  unnatural  condi- 
tion and  waken  again  without  having  come  in  touch  with  a 
hypnotist  at  all.  In  such  case  hypnosis,  in  its  proper  sense, 
does  not  occur.  Why?  Because  no  outside  party  has  en- 
tered the  domain  of  his  individual  life  and  taken  possession 
of  that  which  belongs  to  the  occupant  and  'rightful  owner. 
That  is  to  say,  no  intruder  or  trespasser  has  entered  the  temple 
of  the  soul  and  deprived  the  sleeper  of  his  precious  jewel — 
the  power  of  self-control. 

But  let  him  repeat  the  foolish  experiment  often  enough 
and  the  inviting  conditions  will  sooner  or  later  attract  the 
attention  of  some  passing  hypnotist,  who  will  thereupon  enter 
and  complete  the  process  of  hypnotism  by  taking  possession 
and  control  of  his  will,  voluntary  powers  and  sensory  or- 
ganism. 

Reverting  once  more  to  the  definition  of  hypnotism,  it 
v  ill  be  observed  that  it  involves  elements  and  conditions  which 


"  AUTO-HYPNOTISM  "  A  MISNOMER  65 

are  strangely  and  significantly  analogous  to  those  involved  in 
the  crime  of  burglary.     That  is  to  say: 

1.  There  must  be  at  least  two  parties  to  the  transaction. 

2.  One  of  these  must  enter  the  temple  of  the  other,  as  it 
were. 

3.  The  one  so  entering  must  take  unlawful  possession  of 
that  which  of  right  belongs  to  the  other  party. 

The  interesting  analogy  between  these  two  processes 
might,  with  value  and  propriety,  be  carried  much  further. 
But  it  is  only  intended  at  this  point  to  suggest  the  one  funda- 
mental fact,  that  they  both  involve  the  commission  of  a  wrong 
by  one  person  against  another.  Both,  therefore,  involve  a 
violation  of  law,  for  which  offense  there  are  corresponding 
penalties  which  must  be  inflicted  upon  the  culprit. 

The  individual  who  thus  throws  himself  into  the  artificial 
sleep  above  referred  to  invites  thereby  many  results  and  con- 
ditions of  which  he  is  generally  ignorant.  Among  others,  he 
makes  it  easily  possible  for  any  one  of  the  following  results 
to  obtain: 

1.  He  may,  unless    interfered    with,  thus    withdraw    his 
consciousness    from    the    objective   plane   of   physical    nature 
and  in  a  perfectly  conscious  manner — through  the  medium  of 
his  spiritual  sensory  organs — see,  hear  and  observe  whatever 
may  occur  upon  the  spiritual  plane  within  the  range  of  spirit- 
ual vision,   hearing  and   observation.      His   waking  memory 
of  all  he  has  thus  observed  and  experienced  will  be  commen- 
surate with  the  extent  to  which  his  consciousness  still  occu- 
pies and  continues  to  register  through  the  third  physical  brain. 
If  the  objective  faculties  alone  are  asleep  upon  the  physical 
plane,  all  that  part  of  the  third  brain  lying  back  of  and  above 
the  organs  of  perception  is  awake  and  active,  and  the  waking 
memory  will  be  clear  and  distinct. 

2.  But  he  may  go   still  further  and  withdraw  all  con- 
sciousness from  the  third  physical  brain.     In  this  event  he 
brings  back  to  his  waking  consciousness  no  remembrance  of 
what  he  may  have  seen,  heard  or  observed  through  the  me- 
dium of  his  spiritual  sensory  organs.     To  him  it  has  been 


66         THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

but  a  sound  and  dreamless  sleep,  often  followed  by  the  most 
intense  nervous  headache. 

3.  In  either  of  the  above  named  conditions  the  door  is 
wide  open  to  the  hypnotist,  from  either  plane  of  life,  who 
may  chance  to  pass  that  way.     If  it  be  a  physically  embodied 
hypnotist,  he  may  enter  the  domain  of  the  sleeper's  soul  and 
take   undisputed  possession  and  control  of  the   will,  volun- 
tary powers  and  sensory  organism  of  his  subject,  without  the 
least  possible  resistance  or  opposition.    In  this  event  the  sleeper 
becomes  a  hypnotic  subject  under  the  control  of  his  hypno- 
tizer,  and  can  be  made  to  produce  such  phenomena  as  the 
operator  would  be  able  to  "suggest"  or  command  if  he  had 
obtained  his  control  in  the  ordinary  way. 

4.  But  it  should  never  be  forgotten  that  there  are  physi- 
cally disembodied  hypnotists  as  well  as  those  yet  in  the  physi- 
cal body.     Those  physically  disembodied  intelligences,  com- 
monly known  and  designated  as  "spirits,"  represent  all  kinds 
and  classes  of  individuals.    The  lower  the  type  the  more  closely 
they  approach  the  plane  of  the  purely  physical.     This  law  of 
spiritual  gravity  will  be  fully  developed  in  Part  III  of  this 
volume. 

The  ignorant  and  the  vicious  upon  the  spiritual  side  of 
life  generally  seek  to  attach  themselves  to  earth's  conditions  as 
closely  as  may  be  possible.  There  are  perfectly  natural  reasons 
for  this  desire,  as  well  as  for  the  efforts  they  put  forth  to  ac- 
complish its  realization.  Such  an  one  as  this  is  ever  watchful 
for  an  opportunity  to  fasten  itself  upon  <5ne  who  is  yet  in 
the  physical  body. 

The  individual  who  enters  into  the  artificial  and  abnormal 
sleep  mistakenly  named  "Auto-Hypnosis"  opens  the  door  of 
his  inmost  life  to  these  spiritual  intelligences  as  well  as  to  the 
hypnotist  upon  the  physical  plane.  If  his  abnormal  condition 
is  observed  and  understood  by  an  unscrupulous  or  ignorant 
intelligence  on  the  spiritual  side  of  life,  such  spiritual  intelli- 
gence may,  without  the  least  difficulty,  take  possession  and 
control  of  the  sleeper's  will,  voluntary  powers  and  sensory 
organism,  precisely  as  the  hypnotist  might  do  from  the  physi- 
cal plane. 


"AUTO-HYPNOTISM"  A  MISNOMER  67 

In  this  event  the  sleeper  becomes  a  "trance  medium,"  in 
the  possession  of  a  "spiritual  control." 

5.  If  such  "control"  refuse  to  release  its  victim,  or  if  he 
should  be  unable  to  do  so  (which  is  quite  possible  among 
ignorant  controls),  the  case  is  pronounced  "insanity"  by  phy- 
sicians of  the  regular  schools.  In  this  event  the  "Auto-Hyp- 
notist" is  sent  to  an  asylum  for  the  insane,  where  he  is  likely 
to  remain  until  physical  death  comes  to  his  release. 

The  conditions  which  follow  physical  death  under  these 
circumstances  will  be  fully  considered  in  Part  III  of  this 
volume. 


68         THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

CHAPTER   X. 

"SUGGESTION" — A  LEXICOLOGICAL  LIBEL. 

The  term  "Suggestion"  has  been  so  cruelly  and  unfairly 
dealt  with  in  recent  years  that  the  spirit  of  fair  play  demands 
its  immediate  and  unconditional  vindication. 

According  to  the  best  lexicological  authorities  the  word 
means : 

1.  To  introduce  indirectly  to  the  thoughts. 

2.  To  propose  with  diffidence  or  modesty.    To  hint.    To 
intimate. 

3.  To  seduce.     To  tempt,  etc. 

This  last  definition  is  rare,  and  by  some  of  the  authori- 
ties is  now  considered  obsolete. 

It  is  safe  to  say  that  in  its  most  common  acceptation  the 
word  is  intended  to  mean  "a  deferential  method  of  calling 
the  attention  of  one  person  to  the  subject  matter  in  the  mind 
of  another  and  inviting  favorable  consideration  of  the  same." 

For  some  reason,  quite  inconceivable  at  this  time,  the  word 
has  become  inseparably  connected  and  associated  in  thought 
with  the  subject  of  hypnotism.  By  a  sort  of  tacit  agreement 
or  understanding,  as  it  were,  among  writers  and  students  gen- 
erally, it  has  come  to  include  almost,  if  not  quite,  all  the 
means  and  methods  by  and  through  which  a  hypnotist  im- 
presses his  own  thoughts,  impulses,  desires  and  will  upon  the 
consciousness  of  his  subject. 

But  it  must  be  borne  constantly  in  mind  that  in  exact  pro- 
portion to  the  depth  or  intensity  of  the  hypnotic  state  the 
hypnotist  controls  the  will,  voluntary  powers  and  sensory  or- 
ganism of  his  subject.  Under  these  conditions  the  subject,  to 
the  extent  that  hypnosis  exists,  is  deprived  of  the  power  of 
independent  choice,  without  which  the  word  "Suggestion"  is 
entirely  meaningless  to  him. 

Indeed,  every  thought,  every  impression,  every  impulse  of 
the  will  projected  by  a  hypnotist  upon  the  consciousness  of 
his  subject  during  the  hypnotic  relation  has,  just  as  far  as 
the  hypnotic  process  is  able  to  carry  it,  the  force  and  binding 


"SUGGESTION"— A  LEXICOLOGICAL  LIBEL    69 

effect  of  a  definite  and  inviolable  command.  It  is  not  pre- 
sented to  the  subject  for  his  consideration  as  an  independent, 
self-conscious  and  rational  intelligence  possessing  discretion- 
ary powers.  It  is  not  submitted  to  the  rational  judgment  of 
the  subject  at  all.  It  is  not  offered  upon  the  theory  that  it 
may  possibly  be  rejected.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  forced 
upon  him  under  conditions  which,  according  to  the  laws  of 
Nature,  make  its  rejection  an  impossibility. 

And  yet,  notwithstanding  all  this,  it  is  called  "Sugges- 
tion" by  learned  men  who  are  wise  enough  to  instantly  dis- 
cover many  a  less  conspicuous  error. 

It  does  not  require  a  high  degree  of  intelligence  to  under- 
stand that  when  one  man  fires  a  bullet  into  the  brain  of  an- 
other he  does  not  simply  offer  it  as  a  "suggestion"  to  be 
taken  under  advisement  and  possibly  returned  with  thanks. 
He  projects  it  there  to  stay,  regardless  of  the  desires  of  the 
other  party,  because  he  has  both  the  power  and  the  will  to 
do  so.  The  law  of  Nature,  bound  up  in  the  explosive  power 
of  the  powder  back  of  it,  is  inexorable.  No  matter  if  he  ac- 
company the  discharge  of  the  weapon  with  the  most  polite 
and  gracious  "suggestion"  possible,  this  cannot  reduce  the 
force  of  the  charge,  slacken  the  speed  of  the  bullet,  reduce  its 
penetrating  power,  nor  lessen  its  destructive  effects.  In  other 
words,  it  cannot  modify  the  results  in  the  slightest  degree. 
Under  the  conditions  named  he  sets  in  motion  a  process  by 
means  of  a  power  which,  when  once  applied,  produces  an  in- 
evitable result. 

It  should  not  require  the  mind  of  a  scientist  to  understand 
and  appreciate  the  impropriety,  as  well  as  the  absurdity,  of 
calling  this  "Suggestion." 

And  yet,  in  essence,  the  term  "Suggestion"  defines,  with 
as  much  scientific  exactness  and  literary  acuteness,  the 
process  by  which  one  man  lodges  a  bullet  in  the  brain  of  an- 
other by  the  use  of  a  revolver,  as  it  does  the  process  by  which 
a  hypnotist  lodges  an  impression  in  the  consciousness  of  his 
subject  by  an  impulse  of  his  will.  It  is  therefore  just  as 
fitting,  proper  and  scientifically  correct  to  assert  that  a  man 
mav  "suggest"  a  bullet  into  the  brain  of  his  fellow  by  the 


70        THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

aid  of  a  gun  as  that  a  hypnotist  employs  "Suggestion"  as  any 
part  of  the  process  by  and  through  which  he  impresses  his 
thoughts,  impulses,  desires  and  will  upon  the  consciousness 
of  his  subject. 

It  would  seem  that  the  foregoing  illustration  should  be 
sufficient  to  make  clear  the  fact  that  the  term  "Suggestion"  is 
but  another  fiction  which  has  found  its  way  into  the  literature 
of  hypnotism  in  contravention  of  all  the  rules  of  lexicology 
and  in  direct  opposition  to  the  interests  of  science.  The  con- 
summate skill  and  subtlety  with  which  the  professional  hypno- 
tist appropriates  and  plays  upon  this  word  has  artfully  suc- 
ceeded in  blinding  the  eyes  of  the  public  to  the  noxious  pro- 
cesses and  destructive  principles  which  lie  back  of  it. 

To  thus  blacken  the  reputation  of  a  good,  wholesome  and 
altogether  useful  word  by  purposely  associating  it  with  a 
process  so  completely  at  variance  with  its  true  spirit  and  in- 
tent is  a  character  of  libel  which  true  science  cannot  afford 
to  countenance  nor  encourage.  There  should  be  some  legiti- 
mate method,  it  would  seem,  by  which  this  worthy  and  esti- 
mable word  might  be  rescued  and  restored  at  once  to  its 
original  status  of  respectability  and  consistency. 

This,  however,  is  a  difficult  undertaking.  It  is  an  equally 
hazardous  one.  Writers  and  students  have  become  so  familiar 
with  the  term  in  its  relation  to  the  hypnotic  process  that  any 
attempt  to  introduce  a  substitute  would  be  deemed  an  imperti- 
nence and  an  altogether  unwarranted  interference,  even  though 
one  might  easily  be  found  possessing  all  the  elements  of  ac- 
knowledged consistency  and  scientific  exactness. 

For  this  and  other  reasons  no  effort  will  here  be  made  to 
eliminate  or  supplant  the  term  Hypnotic-' 'Suggestion."  On 
the  other  hand,  with  a  mental  reservation  and  protest,  it  will 
be  recognized  and  accepted  as  an  unpleasant  necessity  for  the 
present. 

Hypnotic-"Suggestion,"  for  the  purposes  of  this  work,  has 
therefore  been  defined  as:  "A  suggestion  made  by  a  hypno- 
tist to  his  subject  while  the  latter  is  under  the  hypnotic  C3n- 
trol  of  the  former." 

Let  it  be  distinctly  understood,  however,  that  the   word 


"SUGGESTION"— A  LEXICOLOGICAL  LIBEL    71 

"Suggestion"  in  this  connection,  and  wherever  else  it  may 
be  connected  with  the  hypnotic  process,  is  always  equivalent 
to  "Irresistible  Impulse,"  or  "Imperative  Command,"  in  just 
so  far  as  the  hypnotic  relation  exists  at  the  time  and  under  the 
conditions  referred  to. 

It  is  anticipated,  however,  that  as  science  becomes  ac- 
quainted with  the  nature  and  effects  of  the  hypnotic  process 
the  term  "Command"  will  naturally  supersede  the  term  "Sug- 
gestion." And  thus  a  terminology  will  ultimately  be  adopted 
which  will  convey  to  the  world  a  definite  and  accurate  under- 
standing of  the  difference  between  voluntary  and  involun- 
tary processes,  between  independent  and  subjective  states  of 
being,  and  between  responsible  and  irresponsible  conditions  of 
individual  intelligence. 


72         THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

CHAPTER   XI. 

INDEPENDENT   SUGGESTION — A   FACT. 

There  is  such  a  thing  as  true  suggestion. 

There  is  a  process  which,  by  all  the  rules  of  both  science 
and  language,  is  justly  entitled  to  that  designation.  This, 
however,  is  as  different  from  Hypnotic-" Suggestion"  as  lib- 
erty is  different  from  bondage,  or  as  light  is  different  from 
darkness,  or  as  truth  is  different  from  falsehood. 

For  the  important  purpose  of  distinguishing  true  sugges- 
tion from  its  counterfeit,  Hypnotic-" Suggestion,"  the  genu- 
ine has  been  designated  as  "Independent  Suggestion." 

Independent  Suggestion,  accurately  defined,  may  be  said 
to  be  a  suggestion  made  by  one  person  to  another  while  each 
is  in  full  and  undisputed  control  of  all  his  independent,  self- 
conscious  and  rational  faculties,  capacities  and  powers.  That 
is  to  say,  while  neither  is  under  hypnotic  control.  In  this 
case  each  party  acts  independently  of  the  other,  and  of  his 
own  free  will  and  accord. 

It  will  therefore  be  observed  that  Independent  Suggestion 
differs  from  Hypnotic-"Suggestion"  in  the  following  par- 
ticulars : 

1.  That  neither  party  is  under  hypnotic  control. 

2.  That  each  is  in    undisputed    possession    and    control 
of  all  his  own  independent,  self-conscious  and  rational  facul- 
ties, capacities  and  powers. 

3.  That  each  applies  his  own  individual  intelligence  to 
the  subject  matter  under  consideration  and  accepts  the  sug- 
gestion or  rejects  it,  as  the  case  may  be,  in  accordance  with 
his  own  independent  judgment,  and  of  his  own  free  choice. 

4.  That  each  one  is  at  all  times  individually  responsible 
for  having  made  his  own  decision  as  well  as  for  the  results 
of  his  own  actions  in  accordance  therewith. 

But  men  of  science  have  come  to  know  that  there  are  at 
least  two  very  different  and  distinct  methods  by  which  an  In- 
dependent Suggestion  may  be  conveyed  by  one  person  to 
another,  viz. : 


INDEPENDENT  SUGGESTION— A  FACT        73 

1.  By  the  usual  means  and  channels  of  communication 
upon  the  purely  physical  plane,  such  as  the  voice,  the  facial 
expression,  gesticulation,  by  written  or  printed  words,  signs, 
characters  and  symbols,  as  well  as  by  telephone,  telegraph  and 
other  mechanical  means  and  methods. 

2.  By  mental  processes  alone. 

For  the  purpose  of  indicating  this  important  distinction 
and  firmly  fixing  it  in  mind,  the  term  "Telepathic  Sugges- 
tion" has  been  employed. 

Telepathic  Suggestion  has  already  been  defined  as  an  In- 
dependent Suggestion  conveyed  by  one  person  to  another  by 
mental  processes  alone,  without  the  aid  of  the  usual  physical 
means  of  communication. 

The  following  illustrations  may  serve  to  make  the  neces- 
sary distinctions  still  more  clearly  and  impressively  apparent : 

1.  HYPNOTIO"SUGGESTION."     Let  it  be  supposed  that  A 
undertakes    to    convey   a    Hypnotic-"Suggestion"    to    B.      In 
order   to  accomplish  the   desired   result    he    must    invoke  a 
process  and  a  power  which  will  first  paralyze  B's  physical 
sensory  organism  and  deprive  him  of  the  power  of  individual 
self-control.     Through  this  method  A  obtains  complete  con- 
trol of  all  the  channels  by  and  through  which  the  conscious- 
ness of  B  may  be  impressed. 

In  this  relation  A  becomes  absolute  master,  and  B  be- 
comes a  helpless  automatic  instrument  under  the  operation 
and  control  of  his  will.  When  this  relation  of  operator  and 
instrument  has  been  fully  established  between  them,  A  con- 
veys to  B  what  hypnotists  are  pleased  to  designate  as  a  "Sug- 
gestion," but  which,  under  all  the  conditions  and  circum- 
stances, is,  in  the  very  nature  of  things,  equivalent  to  an  irre- 
sistible impulse  or  an  imperative  command.  By  the  law  of 
relationship  thus  established,  B  has  no  alternative  but  to  obey 
just  as  far  as  the  hypnotic  process  is  invoked.  And  this  is 
called  Hypnotic-"Suggestion." 

2.  INDEPENDENT  SUGGESTION.     Suppose  that  A,  who  is 
friendly  to  B,  discovers  what  he  believes  to  be  an  excellent 
opportunity  for  B  to  make  a  safe  and  profitable  investment. 
Moved  by  the  impulse  of  friendship,  he  goes  to  B  and  care- 


74        THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

fully  lays  before  him  all  the  facts  at  his  command  bearing 
upon  the  subject,  and  then  suggests  that  B  follow  up  the 
inquiry  and  look  into  the  matter  for  himself. 

A,  having  thus  kindly  and  deferentially  called  B's  atten- 
tion to  the  matter  and  invited  his  favorable  consideration  of 
the  same,  feels  that  his  mission  of  friendship  has  been  fully 
performed.  He  therefore  goes  his  way  and  leaves  B  to  in- 
vestigate the  matter  for  himself  and  accept  or  reject  his  sug- 
gestion in  accordance  with  the  dictates  of  his  own  free  and 
independent  judgment. 

And  this  is  Independent  Suggestion,  conveyed  by  the 
usual  physical  means  of  communication. 

3.  TELEPATHIC  SUGGESTION.  Let  it  be  supposed  that  A 
desires  to  acquaint  B  with  the  fact  that  he  is  perplexed  and 
needs  B's  counsel  and  assistance.  A  desires  to  communicate 
the  fact  to  B  telepathically.  He  therefore  goes  to  His  room, 
where  everything  is  quiet  and  nothing  is  likely  to  divert  his 
attention.  He  places  himself  in  a  position  and  condition  of 
complete  physical  relaxation,  and  then  intently  fixes  his  mind 
on  B,  charging  it  all  the  while  with  the  earnest  desire  that  B 
call  and  see  him  at  once.  At  the  same  instant  B  obtains  the 
impression  that  A  is  in  distress  and  desires  to  see  him.  He 
immediately  responds  to  the  impulse  and  accordingly  calls 
on  A. 

And  this  is  Telepathic  Suggestion.  That  is  to  say,  it  is 
Independent  Suggestion  by  mental  processes  alone,  without 
the  aid  of  the  usual  physical  means  of  communication. 

It  will  now  be  observed  that  the  various  processes  involved 
in  the  foregoing  illustrations  mark  a  radical  distinction  be- 
tween what  is  known  as  Hypnotic-"Suggestion"  and  true,  or 
Independent  Suggestion.  This  distinction  is  of  vital  im- 
portance to  a  definite  understanding  of  the  real  principle  in- 
volved. 

The  complete  failure  of  modern  writers  and  authorities  to 
appreciate  and  carefully  note  this  vital  distinction  is  respon- 
sible for  a  very  large  percentage  of  the  confusion  and  error 
which  have  crept  into  the  recent  literature  of  the  subject, 


INDEPENDENT  SUGGESTION— A  FACT         75 

and  through  this  channel  into  the  minds  of  students,  investi- 
gators and  the  public  in  general. 

Constant  association  of  the  word  "Suggestion"  with  the 
thought  of  hypnotism,  with  hypnotic  processes  and  hypnotic 
experiments,  has  invested  it  with  a  meaning  which,  so  far 
as  the  facts  are  concerned,  is  purely  fictitious  and  wholly  mis- 
leading. Whenever  and  wherever  a  hypnotist  employs  the 
term  "Suggestion"  the  student  is  either  led  or  permitted  to 
infer  that  it  means  Hypnotic-"Suggestion."  In  fact,  in  the 
language  of  the  hypnotist,  the  word  has  come  to  be  but  a 
synonym  of  hypnotism. 

But  the  distinction  between  this  and  Independent  Sugges- 
tion is  fundamental  and  must  be  kept  constantly  in  mind. 
Otherwise  the  student  will  inevitably  find  himself  in  the  midst 
of  a  bewildering  maze  of  contradiction  and  inconsistency. 
This  is  more  especially  true  in  the  department  of  Suggestive 
Therapeutics.  In  this  fruitful  field  of  interest  and  inquiry 
writers  and  authorities  have  either  ignored  the  distinction 
entirely  or  have  noted  it  in  such  manner  as  to  convey  the 
impression  that  it  is  of  little  or  no  importance. 

And  yet  it  is  safe  to  assert  that  in  all  the  literature  of 
hypnotism  wherever  the  word  "Suggestion"  appears  it  should 
in  the  very  largest  number  of  instances  be  preceded  by  the 
word  "Independent."  For  it  is  a  fact  which  none  but  the 
professional  hypnotist  and  the  misinformed  proselyte  will 
deny,  that  the  genuine  therapeutic  results  of  Suggestion  which 
have  been  advertised  to  the  world  have  been  the  results  of 
Independent  Suggestion  and  not  those  of  Hypnotic-"Sugges- 
tion." 

Nevertheless,  from  the  fact  that  those  who  have  charged 
themselves  with  the  task  of  reporting  the  results  to  the  world 
fail  to  differentiate  between  the  kinds  of  Suggestion  em- 
ployed, the  credulous  inquirer  is  permitted  and  even  encour- 
aged to  attribute  the  gross  results  to  the  alleged  or  supposed 
magical  power  of  hypnotism  and  Hypnotic-"Suggestion." 

Under  these  conditions  it  is  not  strange  that  in  the  name 
and  under  the  guise  of  "Hypnotism"  and  Hypnotic-"Sugges- 
tion"  a  thousand  beneficent  results  have  been  wrought  which 


76         THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

are  no  more  related  to  hypnotism,  in  fact,  than  they  are  to 
the  Monroe  Doctrine  or  the  Clayton-Bulwer  Treaty. 

No  more  subtle  error  could  be  devised  than  that  which  is 
couched  and  concealed  in  the  word  "Suggestion"  as  it  is  em- 
ployed in  connection  with  Hypnotism  and  the  Hypnotic  Pro- 
cess. Upon  the  basis  of  this  most  ingenious  device  and  fas- 
cinating fiction  even  men  of  science  have  been  misled,  just  as 
government  experts  have  often  been  deceived,  for  the  time 
being,  by  artfully  designed  and  skillfully  executed  counter- 
feit currency. 

But  just  as  there  are  infallible  tests  for  discovering  the 
most  perfect  counterfeit  coins  and  currency,  so  there  are  un- 
erring and  indisputable  methods  and  means  of  determining 
counterfeit  "Suggestion"  from  the  genuine  and  true.  In  like 
manner  there  are  equally  unquestionable  methods  of  deter- 
mining the  exact  results  of  Hypnotic-"Suggestion,"  as  com- 
pared with  those  of  Independent  Suggestion. 

These  are  subjects  which  will  command  further  attention. 


DOES  HYPNOTISM  CURE?  77 


CHAPTER    XII. 


DOES  HYPNOTISM  CURE? 

The  chief  claims  which  the  advocates  of  hypnotism  set 
up  in  justification  of  the  hypnotic  process  are  based  upon  its 
alleged  value  as  a  therapeutic  agent.  For  instance,  they  claim : 

1.  That  hypnosis  may  be  employed  as  an  anaesthetic  in 
surgery. 

2.  That  through  the   agency   of   Hypnotic-" Suggestion" 
diseases  of  various  kinds  may  be  cured. 

3.  That  by  means  of  the  Hypnotic  process  vicious  habits 
may  be  overcome  and  evil  tendencies  counteracted. "^ 

4.  It  has  even  been  claimed  by  some  that  through  the 
beneficent  action  of  Hypnotic-" Suggestion"  mental  and  moral_ 
powers—may  be  developed. 

As  eviden^e~~trr3u^sTanfiation  of  these  by  no  means  in- 
significant claims,  professional  hypnotists  throughout  the 
country  report  a  large  number  of  cases  such  as  the  following: 

i.  A  sufferer  from  insomnia  has  taken  treatment  from 
the  regular  physician  and  has  tried  all  sorts  of  remedies  in 
vain.  He  finally  appeals  to  the  hypnotist,  who  undertakes 
the  case.  After  a  number  of  tfi'als  the  patient  is  placed 
in  the  hypnotic  trance.  While  in  this  state  of  complete  hyp- 
notic control  the  operator  "suggests"  that  the  difficulty  will 
soon  pass  away  and  that  the  patient  will  immediately  begin 
to  grow  better.  Before  awakening  him  from  the  hypnotic 
sleep  the  hypnotist  strongly  impresses  him  with  the  further 
"suggestion"  that  he  will  sleep  soundly  all  through  the  fol- 
lowing night,  and  will  waken  the  next  morning  much  re- 
freshed and  invigorated.  He  is  then  wakened  from  the  hyp- 
notic trance  and  permitted  to  go  his  way,  with  the  injunction 
to  report  the  following  day. 

Cases  of  a  similar  nature  are  reported  where  a  single  treat- 
ment of  this  nature  seems  to  have  relieved  the  difficulty,  for 
the  time  being.  But  if  it  should  prove  that  a  single  Hypnotic 
subjection  is  not  sufficient,  the  operation  is  repeated,  with  such 
variations  as  the  particular  operator  may  deem  advisable,  until 


78         THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

relief  is  either  obtained  or  the  case  proves  to  be  one  which 
is  beyond  the  range  of  the  hypnotic  process. 

2.  A  clinical  case  is  in  course  of  preparation  for  the  am- 
putation of  a  limb.    The  patient  is  placed  upon  the  operating 
table.     But  instead  of  administering  the  usual  physical  anaes- 
thetics of  ether  and  chloroform,  a  hypnotist  is  called  in.     He 
finally  succeeds  in  placing  the  patient  under  complete  hypnotic 
control   and   inducing  the   deep,   lethargic,   trance  condition. 
While  in  this  state  the  operation  is  successfully  performed. 
After  the  surgeon  has  fully  completed  his  work  and  everything 
is  in  readiness,  the  hypnotist  gives  the  word  of  command  and 
the  patient  wakens  from  the  hypnotic  trance  without  having 
been  conscious  of  any  physicial  suffering  whatsoever.     There 
is  not  even  the  usual  nausea  which  so  often  follows  the  ad- 
ministration of  physical  anaesthetics. 

3.  Through  convivial  associations  an  individual  acquires 
the  habit  of  drink.     He  yields  to  its  seductive  influence  until 
the  appetite  becomes  stronger  than  his  desire  to  overcome  it. 
Various  antidotes  and  substitutes  are  tried,  but  without  avail. 
Change  of  climate  and  association  is  suggested  and  tried  with 
the  same  result.    The  habit  still  remains.     It  appears  to  be  a 
hopeless  case.    But  the  hypnotist  is  at  last  called  in.    He  em- 
ploys the  hypnotic  process.    Under  the  influence  of  Hypnotic- 
"Suggestion"  he  finally  succeeds  in  overcoming  the  craving 
for  drink.    The  patient  goes  his  way,  and  it  may  be  that  both 
patient  and  hypnotist  are  under  the  impression  that  a  "cure" 
has  been  effected. 

In  each  of  these  cases  the  hypnotist  flatters  himself  that  he 
has  done  a  good  work.  He  therefore  feels  himself  entirely 
justified  in  recommending  hypnotism  and  Hypnotic-" Sugges- 
tion" to  all  those  who  suffer  from  like  conditions.  The  ob- 
jective facts  alone,  thus  far  observed,  would  appear  to  sus- 
tain his  position.  He  therefore  places  himself  upon  the  same 
ethical  platform  with  the  regularly  schooled  physician  and 
challenges  the  world  to  successfully  refute  his  claim. 

He  calls  our  attention  to  the  admitted  fact  that  the  regular 
physician  and  surgeon  employ  physical  anaesthetics  every  day 
in  a  wide  variety  of  cases  and  think  nothing  of  so  doing.  By 


DOES  HYPNOTISM  CURE? 79 

this  process  they  also  induce  what  is  recognized  as  an  arti- 
ficial sleep  or  trance  condition,  which,  in  many  respects,  re- 
sembles the  condition  of  hypnotic  trance. 

Physicians  and  surgeons  justify  themselves  upon  humani- 
tarian grounds,  and  we  do  not  think  of  questioning  their  right 
nor  their  wisdom  in  so  doing.  To  the  superficial  observer 
the  results  of  the  two  methods  are  identical.  He  cannot  under- 
stand why  one  of  these  methods  should  be  commended  and 
the  other  condemned.  Nor  can  it  be  wondered  at  that  the 
proposition  is  one  which  perplexes  him.  For  indeed  it  is  one 
which  has  perplexed  the  scientist  and  the  metaphysician  as 
well  as  the  casual  observer. 

In  thus  basing  his  justification  and  advocacy  of  hypno- 
tism upon  its  alleged  value  as  a  therapeutic  agent,  the  hypno- 
tist has-  chosen  the  strongest  possible  ground  upon  which  to 
support  his  claims,  and  therefore  the  strongest  position  in 
which  to  entrench  himself.  He  is  fortified  behind  a  strong 
breastwork  of  objective  facts  and  conditions  which,  to  the 
average  student,  would  seem  to  be  impregnable. 

In  order  to  give  him  the  benefit  of  every  possible  doubt 
which  his  genius  may  be  able  to  lodge  in  the  minds  of  the 
innocent  and  the  unsophisticated,  and  thus  put  into  his  hands 
every  defensive  weapon  of  which  it  is  possible  for  him  to 
avail  himself,  a  number  of  sweeping  admissions  have  already 
been  made  a  part  of  this  work.  By  these  admissions  it  is 
intended  to  show  that  in  so  far  as-  the  purely  physical  facts 
reported  are  concerned,  there  is  no  material  controversy.  In 
other  words,  it  is  here  intended  to  admit  all  the  objective  facts 
upon  which  the  professional  hypnotist  attempts  to  justify  the 
employment  of  the  hypnotic  process  for  therapeutic  purposes. 

Having  thus  admitted  the  hypnotist's  alleged  basis  of 
physical  facts  to  be  true,  for  the  express  purpose  of  avoiding 
unnecessary  controversy  over  irrelevant  and  immaterial  mat- 
ter, it  only  remains  to  be  determined  why  his  conclusions, 
based  upon  these  alleged  physical  facts,  are  not  equally  true. 
If  his  conclusions  are  incorrect  it  is  due  to  him  as  well  as  to 
the  public  in  general  that  the  error  be  pointed  out  and  the 


80         THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

truth  made  plain.  It  is  the  purpose  of  this  work  to  accom- 
plish this  task,  if  it  be  possible. 

Referring  again  to  the  hypothetical  cases  above  outlined, 
let  it  be  assumed  that  the  facts  therein  stated  are  the  only 
facts  which  appear  in  each  particular  case.  It  is  impossible 
for  the  average  individual  to  doubt  the  objective  evidences  of 
his  own  physical  senses.  The  results  seem  to  speak  for  them- 
selves. Any  attempt  to  discredit  them  would  seem  to  be 
gratuitous  as  well  as  unwarranted  and  unjust.  In  the  one 
case  a  surgical  operation  is  successfully  performed  under  hyp- 
notic anaesthesia  without  conscious  physical  suffering  of  any 
kind.  In  another  the  debilitated  condition  of  the  nervous 
organism  indicated  by  insomnia  is  seemingly  relieved.  In 
the  third  a  degrading  habit  is  seemingly  overcome  and  a  de- 
structive appetite  controlled. 

These  being  the  specific  objects  sought  to  be  acomplished, 
it  would  appear,  from  a  surface  view  of  the  matter  at  least, 
that  the  remedy  has  proved  itself  entirely  adequate  and  the 
process  invoked  both  salutary  and  commendable.  It  is  quite 
possible,  and  even  probable,  that  the  physical  scientist  of  the 
conventional  school  would  so  declare. 

If  these  facts  which  thus  appear  upon  the  surface  were, 
indeed,  the  only  facts  entitled  to  the  consideration  of  the  in- 
quirer, and  the  results  which  appear  to  the  objective  vision 
of  the  observer  from  the  published  reports  were  truly  the 
only  results  thereby  accomplished,  it  would  then  seem  quite 
impossible  to  find  a  legitimate  excuse  for  criticising  the  hyp- 
notist or  protesting  against  the  hypnotic  process  by  and 
through  which  these  seemingly  beneficent  results  were  accom- 
plished. In  other  words,  if  that  which  appears  upon  the  sur- 
face reports  of  all  these  assumed  "cures"  embodied  all  the 
material  facts  to  be  considered,  it  would  be  difficult  to  imagine 
a  good  and  sufficient  reason  why  the  hypnotist  should  not  be 
commended  for  his  work  and  the  hypnotic  process  fully  ap- 
proved upon  its  merits. 

But  it  has  been  strongly  intimated  that  there  are  other 

facts  Jhan_Jhose  which  ^appear  in  the  published  reports  of 

"these  elcpenments.     If  this  be  true,  then  it  is  manifestly  un- 


DOES  HYPNOTISM  CURE? 81 

fair  to  judge  either  the  hypnotist  or  the  hypnotic  process 
solely  upon  the  objective  facts  thus  reported.  No  problem 
can  be  solved  with  absolute  certainty  until  all  the  facts  are 
taken  into  account.  The  true  scientist  never  feels  himself 
justified  in  drawing  a  final  conclusion  upon  any  subject  under 
his  consideration,  and  holding  that  conclusion  to  be  scientific, 
until  he  is  certain  that  all  the  facts  are  before  him  bearing 
upon  that  particular  question.  Even  then  he  must  be  sure 
that  he  has  given  to  each  separate  fact  the  full  measure  of 
value  and  importance  to  which  it  is  entitled  before  he  can 
hope  to  reach  a  just  and  accurate  judgment. 

It  is  indeed  true,  as  above  suggested,  that  there  are  other 
material  facts  concerning  hypnotism  and  the  hypnotic  process 
than  those  which  come  to  the  attention  of  the  public,  or  that 
of  the  student  through  the  voluntary  and  unverified  reports 
of  the  professional  hypnotist  who,  it  will  be  admitted,  has  a 
personal  interest  to  conserve  thereby.  Such  of  these  addi- 
tional facts  as  have  been  gathered  and  classified  in  such  man- 
ner as  to  be  most  readily  understood,  will  be  presented  for 
consideration  in  the  following  order : 

i.  It  has  been  found  by  the  School  of  Natural  Science 
that  out  of  each  one  hundred  reported  hypnotic  "cures"  at 
least  sixty-three  are  in  no  sense  whatever  entitled  to  be  so 
classified.  The  subsequent  history  of  these  Cases  discloses 
the  startling  fact  that  the  hypnotic  process  has  only  suc- 
ceeded in  hoodwinking  the  patient,  and  concealing  the  mani- 
festation of  the  disease  from  the  objective  vision  for  a  brief 
period. 

In  due  course  of  time,  however  (in  the  majority  of  in- 
stances not  exceeding  eighteen  months),  the  same  disease  has 
"returned"  and  made  its  presence  fully  manifest. 

It  would  seem  that  the  most  enthusiastic  advocate  of  the 
subjective  method  of  treatment,  even,  unless  he  be  deliber- 
ately dishonest,  would  frankly  admit  that  in  all  such  instances 
the  hypnotic  process  is  in  no  sense  remedial  or  curative.  The 
most  extravagant  claim  that  could  be  made  for  it,  basedjip_on 
its  therapeutic  value,  WOlllfl  Be  to  the  effect  that  itisTper- 
haps,  a  temporary  palliative.  But  it  would  scarcely  be  en- 


82        THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

titled  to  even  that  designation  in  the  accepted  meaning  of  the 
term  as  it  is  used  by  men  of  medical  science  in  their  refer- 
ence to  disease.  It  might,  however,  very  appropriately  be 
considered  a  "palliative"  in  the  sense  that  it  is  a  "cover"  or 
"cloak"  under  which  to  conceal  the  true  condition  of  the 
patient  from  both  himself  and  the  world. 

2.  Out  of  the  same  number  of  cases  it  is  found  that  in 
twenty-four  of  the  sixty-three  the  same  disease  "returns"  in 
a  more  aggravated  form  than  that  in  which  it  manifests  itself 
prior  to  the  hypnotic  treatment. 

This  fact  would  appear  to  strongly  indicate  that  in  all 
such  cases  the  hypnotic  process  has  acted  as  an  anaesthetic 
pure  and  simple.  The  sum  total  of  its  results  is  disclosed  in 
the  fact  that  the  patient  has  been  made  insensible  to  and  un- 
conscious of  his  true  condition  for  a  time.  In  other  words, 
he  has  been  deceived  or  misled  for  a  brief  period,  during 
which  the  disease  has  been  permitted  to  continue  its  destruc- 
tive ravages  under  the  protecting  cover  of  hypnotism,  without 
check  or  hindrance. 

There  are  many  instances  where  an  anaesthetic  is  desir- 
able, and  upon  broad,  humanitarian  grounds  would  be  deemed 
entirely  justifiable.     But  certainly  this  claim  cannot  be  suc- 
cessfully  maintained   in   the  cases  above   referred   to.      The 
physician  and    the  surgeon    limit  their  use  of  physical  anaes- 
thetics to  the  temporary  relief  of  unendurable  pain  or  suffer-' 
ing.    They  at  no  time  employ  these  agencies  for  the  purpose; 
of  concealment  or  deception.     It  is  also  true  that  when  the] 
physician  or  the  surgeon  administers  anaesthetics  he  accom- 
panies their  use  with  remedial  agencies  intended  to  correct, 
restore  and  cure.     He  does  not  leave  the  disease  to  pursue 
its  work  of  destruction  unmolested. 

In  the  cases  here  referred  to  it  must  be  apparent  to  every 
student  who  has  followed  the  subject  to  this  point  that  hypno- 
tism is  only  a  fatal  blind  that  deceives  both  the  patient  and 
the  public,  as  well  as  the  hypnotist  himself,  concerning  the 
actual  conditions.  In  all  such  cases' as  these  it  only  furnishes 
disease  a  convenient  cloak  under  "which  to  complete  its  deadly 
work  without  likelihood  of  discovery,  or  interruption  until  it 


DOES  HYPNOTISM  CURE? 83 

is  too  late.  Certainly  this  use  of  hypnotism  cannot  be  justified 
upon  any  ground  that  appeals  to  human  reason,  nor  upon 
any  which  conscience  approves. 

3.  It  is  also--£otmd-4hat4ri  a  rr>nsid?rable  number  of  cases, 
outside  of  those  included  in  the  two  classes  above  referred  to, 
there  are  equally  just  grounds  for  questioning  the  therapeutic 
value  of  the  hypnotic  process. 

For  illustration  :  It  is  found  that  other  forms  of  disease 
than  those  for  which  the  hypnotic  treatment  is  given  soon 
develop.  A  case  of  hysteria  is  "cured,"  only  to  develop  epi- 
lepsy. A  "cure"  of  stammering  is  effected,  and  soon  there- 
after nervous  twitching  of  the  mouth  and  face  develops.  A 
patient  is  "cured"  of  the  cocaine  habit  and  immediately  there- 
after develops  cancer  of  the  stomach.  A  case  of  rheumatism 
is  "cured,"  and  within  a  short  time  thereafter  blood  poison 
develops. 

It  would  seem  that  in  all  such  cases  the  process  is  one 
of  transformation  only.  The  only  change  effected  is  in  the 
form  of  the  disease,  and  not  in  its  substantial  essence.  There 
is  certainly  no  ground  here  upon  which  to  base  a  claim  of 
therapeutic  value. 

4.  In  a  certain  number  of  'the  last  named  class  of  cases 
the  transformation  is  clearly  and  unmistakably  one  of  an  in- 
jurious or  detrimental  character,  and  therefore  destructive  in 
its  effects. 

5.  There  is  yet  another  class  of  cases  not  included  in  any 
of  those  above  referred  to.     And  here  a  wholly  different  ele- 
ment enters  into  the  proposition.     It  is   found,   for  instance, 
that   insanity   seems  to  be   a  natural   sequel   of  the   hypnotic 
process.     The  gravity  of  this  statement  is  fully  appreciated. 
It  is  not  made  lightly,  nor  without  the  most  unqualified  and 
conclusive  evidence  back  of  it. 

This  subject  has  been  studied  quite  independently  of  its 
relation  to  the  subject  of  therapeutics.  It  is  found  that  among 
hypnotic  subjects  of  all  classes,  including  those  who  become 
such  for  experimental  purposes  and  for  entertainment  and 
amusement,  as  well  as  for  the  treatment  of  disease,  a  fraction 
over  nine  per  cent,  develop  insanity  in  its  various  forms  and 


84         THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

phases.  For  the  sake  of  perfect  fairness  it  is  proper  to  state 
that  a  certain  percentage  of  the  cases  of  this  character  results 
from  the  practice  of  hypnotism  for  other  than  therapeutic 
purposes. 

The  record,  however,  is  especially  significant  and  valuable 
from  a  therapeutic  standpoint,  in  that  it  demonstrates  beyond 
all  question  that  hypnotism  practiced  without  destructive  in-  \ 
tent  is  nevertheless  destructive  in  its  effects.  This,  perhaps, 
is  as  nearly  a  fair  test  of  its  therapeutic  value  as  it  is  possible 
to  apply  upon  the  plane  of  its  purely  physical  aspect. 

To  obtain  an  adequate  understanding  of  the  percentage  of 
insanity  from  this  cause  the  following  illustration  may  be  of 
value :  On  the  basis  of  nine  per  cent,  the  city  of  Chicago 
would  furnish  about  180,000  insane  to  be  cared  for  if  hypno- 
tism were  practiced  upon  the  entire  community  instead  of 
our  recognized  systems  of  medicine.  The  city  of  New  York 
would  produce  about  300,000,  and  the  city  of  London  about 
450,000. 

The  various  forms  of  insanity  which  follow  from  this 
cause  also  furnish  food  for  much  serious  reflection.  But  it  is 
impossible  to  consider  this  phase  of  the  subject  at  sufficient 
length,  in  this  connection,  to  develop  its  specific  value  and 
importance.  The  significance  of  this  phase  of  the  subject 
will  be  more  fully  appreciated  as  the  general  theme  is  further 
developed. 

The  foregoing  are  some  of  the  additional  facts  of  physi- 
cal nature  which  must  be  taken  into  account  in'  arriving  at  a 
correct  solution  of  the  problem  under  consideration.  There 
are  yet  other  purely  physical  facts  which  might  be  added  to 
strongly  supplement  the  position  taken  in  this  work.  But, 
viewing  the  subject  now  in  the  light  of  the  facts  already  in 
evidence,  it  would  appear  that  we  are  justly  entitled,  upon 
physical  grounds  alone,  to  ask  the  question  in  all  seriousness, 
"Does  hypnotism  cure?" 

The  data  here  furnished  is  such  as  to  fall  entirely  within 
the  limitations  of  physical  science.  They  are  therefore  within 


DOES  HYPNOTISM  CURE? 85 

the  range  of  actual  demonstration  whenever  physical  science 
shall  come  to  regard  the  subject  as  of  sufficient  importance 
to  command  its  attention  and  consideration. 

Since  the  foregoing  was  written  there  comes  to  this  country  direct 
from  Berlin,  Germany,  under  date  of  January  29,  1903,  the  following 
cable  dispatch,  which  is  especially  significant  and  pertinent  in  this  con- 
nection : 

"The  commission  of  experts  in  mental  diseases  appointed  by  the 
Ministry  of  Education  to  investigate  the  healing  value  of  hypnotism 
reports  that  it  is  essentially  worthless.  The  commission,  which  is 
composed  of  Professor  Mendel  and  Drs.  Gock,  Munter  and  Aschenoorn, 
was  appointed  during  the  faith-healing  excitement  here  a  year  ago. 
The  report  declares  hypnotism  cannot  produ:e  organic  changes  nor 
cure  epilepsy  nor  hysteria." 


8C         THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

CHAPTER    XIII. 


A  VIOLATION  OF  NATURAL  LAW. 

On  the  plane  of  physical  nature  there  are  certain  addi- 
tional facts  concerning  the  hypnotic  process  which  the  scien- 
tist, the  physician,  the  professional  hypnotist  and  the  hyp- 
notic subject  all  alike  recognize  and  admit. 

The  value  of  these  additional  facts  to  the  individual  will 
depend  very  largely  upon  the  particular  relation  in  which 
they  are  considered.  They  are  essential,  however,  and  there- 
fore should  not  be  overlooked  nor  ignored  by  those  who  are 
seriously  endeavoring  to  reach  a  just  conclusion  as  to  the 
real  nature  and  true  meaning  of  hypnosis  in  all  its  different 
bearings. 

As  briefly  and  concisely  as  may  be  possible  a  few  of  these 
supplementary  facts  will  be  presented  for  consideration  in 
the  following  order: 

I.  The  advocates  of  hypnotism,  of  all  grades  and  schools, 
find  it  necessary  to  admit  that  the  hypnotic  relation  is  "ab- 
normal." It  is,  in  truth,  recognized  and  admitted  by  all  who 
have  given  the  subject  proper  consideration  to  be  a  relation 
which  Nature  does  not,  of  her  own  accord,  establish  or  main- 
tain between  individuals.  It  is  therefore  clearly  a  relation 
which  Nature  does  not  contemplate. 

In  other  words,  it  is  a  relation  into  which  the  individuals, 
of  their  own  accord,  enter  without  the  sanction  of  Nature. 
It  would  seem  that  this  of  itself  should  be  sufficient  to  con- 
demn its  practice  either  as  a  therapeutic  agent  or  for  any 
other  purpose. 

As  evidence  of  the  general  recognition  of  this  important 
fact  by  the  established  authorities,  Webster  defines  the  hyp- 
notic relation  as  one  which  is  "characterized  by  unnatural  or 
morbid  sleep." 

According  to  the  Encyclopaedia  Britannica,  "Hypnotism 
may  be  regarded  as  a  condition  in  which  the  part  of  the 
nervous  apparatus  associated  with  conscious  perception  is 
thrown  out  of  gear!' 


A  VIOLATION  OF  NATURAL  LAW  87 

Foster's  Encyclopaedic  Medical  Dictionary  informs  us  that 
hypnotism  is  "an  abnormal  state,"  etc. 

Even  Prof.  John  Duncan  Quackenbos,  of  Columbia  Uni- 
versity, admits  that  it  is  an  "artificial  sleep,"  etc. 

Indeed,  it  is  equally  true  that  every  acknowledged  author- 
ity in  existence  might  be  quoted  in  recognition  of  the  funda- 
mental fact  that  hypnotism  and  the  hypnotic  relation  are 
"abnormal"  and  "unnatural." 

The  conclusion  follows  with  irresistible  logic  that  what- 
ever is  found  to  be  unnatural  is  necessarily  without  the  sanc- 
tion or  approval  of  Nature.  That  which  is  outside  the  sanc- 
tion and  approval  of  Nature  is  necessarily  hostile  to  Nature's 
purpose  and  therefore  contrary  to  natural  law.  That  is  to 
say,  it  is  contrary  to  Nature's  Constructive  Principle. 

Materia   Medico,   both   prophylactic    and    therapeutic,    is 
based   upon    its   strict    conformity   to    Nature's   Constructive   4ov<< 
Principle.     In  its  prophylactic  aspect  it  is  intended  to  supple-      ,' 
ment    Nature   in    her   constructive    effort    to    preserve   health 
and  prevent  disease.     In  its  therapeutic  branch  the  underlying 
purpose   is  to   supplement   Nature's   Constructive   Process  in  AA*s-^ 
the  restoration  of  health  and  the  cure  of  disease. 

The  true  physician  bases  his  entire  success  in  the  cure  of 
disease  upon  his  knowledge  of  natural  law  and  his  ability  to 
conform  thereto.  His  study  of  diagnostics  is  solely  for  the 
purpose  of  acquiring  the  ability  to  accurately  distinguish  be- 
tween the  "normal"  and  the  "abnormal."  Having  acquired  V  "^ ' 
this  knowledge,  his  success  in  the  practice  of  his  profession 
is  commensurate  with  his  ability  to  eliminate  the  "abnormal" 
and  restore  the  "normal."  The  basis  of  all  his  work,  there- 
fore, is  the  operation  of  normal  or  natural  constructive  pro- 
cesses. 

It  is,  indeed,  difficult  to  understand  how  it  is  possible  to 
effect  a  cure  upon  any  other  principle.  And  yet  the  hypno- 
tist, by  a  process  which  he  admits  in  advance  to  be  "abnor- 
mal" or  "unnatural,"  declares  his  ability  to  thereby  produce 
a  "normal"  or  "natural"  condition  or  result. 

Expressed  in  a  slightly  different  form,  he  would  lead  us 
to  believe  that  by  the  application  of  a  process  which  he  ad- 


88         THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

mils  to  be  destructive  he  is  able  to  produce  constructive  re- 
sults. By  a  process  which  is  admitted  to  be  unhealthy  he 
proposes  to  produce  healthy  results. 

Even  if  the  facts  were  not  all  against  him,  his  proposi- 
tion, stripped  of  its  mysticism,  is  one  which  violates  all  the 
rules  of  logic  and  offends  every  principle  of  rational  intelli- 
gence. 

2.  Another  important  fact  is  with  equal  unanimity  ad- 
mitted by  scientists,  professional  hypnotists  and  acknowl- 
edged authorities  of  all  the  different  schools,  and  is  known 
by  the  hypnotic  subject  to  be  true  beyond  all  possible  ques- 
tion. It  is  this — that  Nature  has  erected  certain  barriers  and 
safeguards  around  every  individual  intelligence  which  must 
be  broken  down  or  overcome  before  it  is  possible  to  suc- 
cessfully establish  the  hypnotic  relation. 

This  is  evidenced : 

(a)  By  the  fact  that  the  hypnotist  finds  himself  unable 
to   hypnotize    any    and   every    person    he    meets.       If   there 
were   no  natural   barriers   between   him    and    his    victim   he 
would  be  able  to  enter  into  the  hypnotic  relation  with  every 
person  upon  whom  he  desired  to  exercise  his  hypnotic  pow- 
ers.   This,  however,  is  not  the  case.    He  finds  that  he  is  able 
to  exercise  his  powers  upon  only  such  as  prove  to  be  suscep- 
tible.    These  are,  generally  speaking,  those  who  are  known 
as  the  relatively  negative  types. 

(b)  It  is  evidenced  by  the  further  fact  that  the  hypno- 
tist finds  himself  unable  to  hypnotize  a  subject  the  first  time 
he  tries,  as  a  general  rule.     He  finds  that  even  among  those 
who  prove  to  be  susceptible  to  his  power,  it  requires  much 
more  time  and  vastly  greater  effort  on  his  part  the  first  at- 
tempt than  it  does  the  second.     It  requires  more  time  and 
greater  effort  the  second  attempt  than  it  does  the  third,  and 
so  on. 

In  other  words,  at  each  succeeding  repetition  of  the  hyp- 
notic subjectioa  the  process  becomes  easier  for  the  hypnotist. 
And  in  due  time,  if  the  process  be  repeated  sufficiently  often 
upon  the  same  subject,  a  point  is  reached  where  all  the  bar- 
riers and  safeguards  which  Nature  has  erected  are  overcome 


A  VIOLATION  OF  NATURAL  LAW  89 

and  swept  away,  and  it  requires  but  an  impulse  of  the  will 
to  bring  his  subject  under  complete  hypnotic  subjection  and 
control. 

In  order  that  these  scientific  demonstrations  may  not  be 
mistaken  for  the  mere  naked  assertions  of  the  writer,  the  fol- 
lowing quotation  from  the  Encyclopaedia  Britannica,  Vol.  XV, 
p.  278,  will  be  of  special  interest: 

"Certain  persons  are  more  readily  hypnotized  than  others,  and  it  has 
been  observed  that,  once  the  condition  has  been  successfully  induced, 
it  can  be  more  easily  induced  a  second  time,  a  third  time  more  easily 
than  a  second,  and  so  on  until  the  patient  may  be  so  pliant  to  the 
will  of  the  operator  that  a  fixed  look,  or  a  wave  of  the  hand,  may 
throw  him  at  once  into  the  condition.  Such  are  the  general  facts," 
etc. 

It  will  be  found  that  the  authorities  unanimously  agree 
with  the  unqualified  declarations  of  the  writer  just  quoted. 
Further  time  and  space  will  not  be  consumed,  therefore,  upon 
this  particular  proposition.  It  is  important,  however,  to  bear 
in  mind  the  far-reaching  significance  of  all  this. 

It  means  that  around  every  individualized  intelligent  soul 
Nature,  or  the  great  God  of  the  Universe,  has  erected  certain 
barriers  and  safeguards  to  protect  him  from  the  unscrupu- 
lous encroachments  of  all  those  who  would  otherwise  tres- 
pass upon  his  individual  rights.  It  also  means  that  the  hypno- 
tist, before  he  can  practice  his  destructive  art  upon  a  fellow 
creature,  must  first  batter  down,  overwhelm  and  destroy  this 
natural  fortress  of  the  human  soul  which  stands  between  him 
and  his  intended  victim. 

3.  But  there  is  a  natural  corollary  of  all  this  which  is 
of  still  more  vital  importance,  because  it  concerns  the  status 
of  the  subject  himself,  in  whose  behalf  the  best  intelligence 
of  the  age  is  earnestly  invoked. 

It  is  found  that  in  exact  proportion  as  the  hypnotist  gains 
ease  and  facility  in  the  exercise  of  his  power  of  control,  his 
subject  loses  the  power  of  resistance  and  the  power  of  self- 
control.  At  the  first  sitting  the  subject  finds  that  he  is  easily 
able  to  withstand  the  volitional  assaults  of  the  operator.  It 
even  becomes  necessary  for  him  to  put  himself  in  a  negative 
or  passive  attitude  of  mind  and  body,  and  thus  become  a  vol- 


90         THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

untary  accessory  or  accomplice  with  the  hypnotist  in  his  ef- 
fort to  obtain  control. 

But  the  second  time  he  finds  that  the  operator  does  not 
seem  to  require  his  assistance  or  co-operation  to  the  same 
extent.  The  subject  falls  into  the  hypnotic  state  without  any 
particular  effort  on  his  own  part.  The  third  attempt  he  be- 
comes conscious  of  the  fact  that  he  not  only  enters  into  the 
hypnotic  relation  still  more  easily  than  before,  but  that  his 
power  of  resistance  to  the  hypnotic  influence  is  being  under- 
mined and  destroyed.  At  the  fourth  experiment  he  is  made 
to  realize  the  horrible  fact  that  his  power  of  resistance  is 
still  more  rapidly  waning,  and  that  with  equal  pace  he  is  losing 
the  power  of  self-control. 

This  progressive  condition  continues,  with  each  succeed- 
ing subjection,  until  a  point  is  at  last  reached  where  all  power 
of  resistance  is  gone  from  him.  In  other  words,  it  is  but  a 
matter  of  time  when  all  the  barriers  and  safeguards  which 
Nature  has  so  carefully  and  so  wisely  erected  about  his  in- 
dividual intelligence  as  a  fortress  of  defense  against  the 
vicious  assaults  of  his  fellow  men  have  been  overcome  and 
destroyed. 

At  this  point  he  finds  himself  uncovered  and  alone  in  the 
presence  of  the  enemy,  without  means  of  defense,  a  helpless 
victim  in  the  power  and  under  the  control  of  a  merciless  con- 
queror. He  is  bound  soul  and  body  by  an  irresistible  bond 
more  relentless  and  powerful  than  the  felon's  shackles.  He 
finds  himself  at  last  stripped  of  every  valuable  possession  of 
the  human  soul,  and  powerless  to  control  a  single  one  of  the 
primary  faculties,  capacities  or  powers  of  his  being  with 
which  God  or  Nature  originally  invested  him  as  an  individ- 
ualized, intelligent  entity.  He  has  become  but  an  automaton, 
a  plaything,  a  bankrupt,  a  lost  soul.  He  has  entered  upon 

THE  WAY  OF  DEATH. 


TRUE  SUGGESTION  AND  FAITH 91 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

TRUE  SUGGESTION  AND  THERAPEUTIC  FAITH. 

The  influence  of  the  mind  upon  the  condition  of  the  physi- 
cal body  is  one  of  the  most  patent,  potent  and  unmistakable 
pathological  and  physiological  facts  of  all  Nature. 

So  conspicuously  obvious  has  this  become  in  recent  years 
that  it  is  to-day  the  primary  and  fundamental  factor  in  almost 
if  not  quite  every  system  which  has  for  its  purpose  the  pre- 
vention or  the  cure  of  disease. 

Of  such  far-reaching  and  vital  importance  to  humanity 
is  the  principle  involved  in  this  proposition  that  it  would 
seem  to  be  not  only  expedient  but  of  special  value  to  every 
individual  to  have  it  firmly  fixed  in  memory. 

No  more  available  method  of  accomplishing  this  desirable 
result  presents  itself  than  that  of  briefly  identifying  the  prin- 
ciple as  it  exists  and  manifests  itself  in  some  of  the  leading 
systems  with  which  the  general  public  is  more  or  less  fa- 
miliar at  the  present  time.  For  that  purpose  the  following 
brief  analyses  are  here  presented  for  thoughtful  considera- 
tion: 

1.  CURE  BY  PRAYER.    Viewed  from  the  standpoint  of  the 
patient,  the  attitude  of  mind  in  this  case  is  that  of  asking 
a  favor  with  full  confidence  that  it  will  be  granted.     In  the 
sense  that  Faith  is  the  intuitive  perception  of  that  which  both 
reason  and  conscience  approve,  the  basis  of  this   system  is 
Faith. 

The  act  of  prayer  is  but  a  means  to  an  end.  It  is  the 
active  process  by  and  through  which  therapeutic  Faith,  or 
curative  Faith,  or  a  healing  Faith  (whichever  may  be  deemed 
the  most  appropriate  name  for  it),  is  established  in  the  mind 
and  consciousness  of  the  individual.  Prayer  is  the  means. 
Faith  is  the  end.  And  it  is  true  that  in  thousands  of  cases 
a  cure  is  the  result. 

2.  MIND  CURE.     This  system  is  based  upon  the  hypoth- 
esis that  all  diseased    conditions    of    the  physical  body  are 
but  reflex  conditions  and  results  of  abnormal  mental  states. 


92         THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

In  this  view  of  .disease  it  will  be  readily  understood  that  its 
cure  is  entirely  dependent  upon  a  restoration  of  the  mind 
to  its  normal  status  or  condition. 

Whatever  means  or  methods  may  be  employed  to  that 
end  are  supposed  to  restore  the  mind  of  the  patient  to  its 
condition  or  state  of  normality.  The  patient  is,  in  this  case 
also,  himself  a  working  factor  in  the  process  of  restoration. 
He  is  led  to  believe  that  the  process  invoked  is  having  the 
desired  effect  and  that  his  mental  state  is  improving.  He 
grows  brighter,  happier  and  more  hopeful.  Through  the 
subtle  alchemy  of  the  soul  his  unbelief  is  slowly  but  surely 
transmuted  into  an  abounding  Faith.  He  learns  to  believe 
that  he  possesses  the  power  within  himself  to  eradicate  dis- 
ease and  establish  the  harmony  of  health. 

Through  the  mysterious  power  of  this  wonderful  thera- 
peutic agent  health  is  finally  restored.  And  thus  it  is  that 
many  cures  are  wrought.  It  is  not  only  useless  but  foolish 
to  deny  them.  It  is  far  better  to  frankly  admit  the  fact  and 
then  seek  to  discover  the  scientific  basis  or  principle  upon 
which  it  is  founded. 

3.  CHRISTIAN  SCIENCE.  This  system  is  founded  upon 
the  negative  proposition  that  there  is  no  such  thing  as  matter, 
coupled  with  the  affirmation  that  mind  is  the  only  reality,  or 
that  "all  is  mind."  From  this  basis  it  is  logically  held  that 
disease  is  but  a  conception  of  the  mind  concerning  matter 
which  has  no  existence  in  fact.  It  therefore  follows  that  dis- 
ease itself  does  not  exist  in  reality.  Being  but  a  mental  con- 
cept of  a  material  untruth,  its  banishment  from  the  mind  is 
all  that  is  necessary  to  a  condition  of  perfect  health. 

The  patient  is  given  these  fundamental  propositions  from 
which  to  proceed.  He  is  instructed  as  to  the  proper  formulas 
by  and  through  which  to  rid  himself  of  all  false  mental  con- 
cepts. He  is  taught  first  the  formula  of  negation  by  which 
he  is  to  persistently  deny  the  existence  of  disease.  Coupled 
with  this,  and  as  a  supplementary  process,  he  learns  the  for- 
mula of  affirmation  by  which  he  is  to  bring  the  mind  to  a 
full  acquiescence  in  the  proposition  that  "all  is  good." 

He  is  instructed  as  to  the  necessity  of  keeping  these  fun- 


TRUE  SUGGESTION  AND  FAITH 93 

damental  propositions  constantly  in  mind  and  allowing  noth- 
ing whatever  to  disturb  his  confidence  in  their  literal  truth. 
His  mind  thus  becomes  active  in  a  process  which  ultimately 
brings  him  to  believe  in  the  truth  of  the  formula. 

At  last  his  Faith  in  the  soundness  of  this  strange  logic 
is  fully  established.  However  remarkable  and  seemingly  "un- 
scientific" may  be  the  process  by  which  this  is  accomplished, 
the  result  is  nevertheless  achieved.  And  in  all  sincerity  and 
truth  it  can  be  said  that  his  Faith  hath  made  him  whole.  It 
is  folly  to  deny  it.  It  is  equally  foolish  to  try  to  ignore  it. 
The  evidences  are  too  many  to  leave  any  just  ground  for 
doubt  in  the  mind  of  the  unprejudiced.  It  is  a  fact  with 
which  science  must  deal  if  it  would  discover  the  principle 
which  underlies  the  process  by  which  these  wonderful  results 
are  accomplished. 

4.  MIRACLE  CURES.     It  is  a  matter  of  common   report 
that  the  Catholic  Church  has  established  certain  mystic  shrines 
where  "miraculous"  cures  are  wrought. 

Those  who  visit  these  shrines  in  the  hope  of  relief  are 
led  to  believe  that  each  shrine  is  presided  over  by  some  saintly 
intelligence  from  on  high  who  possesses  not  only  the  power 
but  also  the  will  to  cure  all  those  who  approach  in  the.  spirit 
of  humility,  piety  and  unbounded  Faith. 

The  possibilities  of  the  miraculous  appeal  to  the  human 
mind  in  proportion  to  its  susceptibility  to  superstitious  mys- 
ticism. The  traditions  of  the  church  are  filled  with  wonder- 
ful legends  of  miraculous  interventions  in  behalf  of  those 
who  unequivocally  acknowledge  its  authority. 

Through  the  instrumentality  of  these  mythological  narra- 
tives the  credulous  and  the  superstitious  are  led  to  approach 
these  sacred  places  with  an  unbounded  Faith  that  God,  or 
Christ,  or  the  Blessed  Virgin,  or  some  .saintly,  spiritual  po- 
tentate of  the  church  will  take  pity  on  them  and  relieve  them 
of  all  their  infirmities.  Their  Faith  being  thus  established, 
many  are  indeed  and  in  truth  cured,  and  go  their  way  with 
praises  and  thanksgiving  and  exceeding  great  joy,  fully  con- 
vinced that  a  miracle  has  been  wrought. 

5.  THE  BREAD  PILL.     This  is  a  system  or  method  which, 


94        THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

perhaps,  has  to  its  credit  a  larger  number  of  bona  fide  cures 
than  any  other  mental  or  psychic  process  now  employed  in 
common  practice.  It  is  often  resorted  to  by  the  most  skilful 
and  intelligent  physicians  of  the  regular  schools.  The  re- 
sults are  often  truly  marvelous.  The  process  may  be  fully 
understood  and  appreciated  from  the  following  illustration 
of  the  manner  in  which  the  good-natured  and  intelligent  coun- 
try doctor  has  often  employed  it,  as  follows: 

He  is  called  to  the  bedside  of  a  patient  who  is  suffering, 
let  us  say,  from  nervous  debility  and  insomnia.  With  a 
dignified  bearing  and  professional  air,  he  feels  the  pulse, 
looks  at  the  tongue,  inquires  into  the  history  of  the  case, 
and  makes  a  careful  and  thorough  examination  and  diagnosis 
of  the  case,  although  his  professional  eye  discovers  the  true 
condition  at  the  first  glance. 

With  a  wise  and  knowing  nod  and  an  outward  manner  of 
perfect  assurance  and  confidence  in  himself,  he  gravely  in- 
forms the  sufferer  that  he  must  have  sleep  and  perfect  relax- 
ation for  a  number  of  hours.  The  patient  knows  this  even 
better  than  the  physician  does,  and  he  therefore  feels  that  the 
man  of  medicine  understands  his  business.  The  first  step  in 
the  process  is  thus  nicely  accomplished.  His  confidence  has 
been  gained.  The  physician,  well  knowing  the  superior  value 
of  natural  sleep  in  all  such  instances,  hesitates  to  administer 
a  narcotic  or  soporific.  But  he  makes  believe  that  he  has  a 
perfectly  harmless  drug  that  is  a  never  failing  remedy  in  all 
such  cases.  He  goes  to  the  cupboard — ostensibly  for  a  spoon 
— but  while  there  he  carefully  prepares  a  good  sized  bread 
pill.  He  then  informs  his  patient,  with  all  the  professional 
unction  and  emphasis  necessary  to  carry  absolute  conviction 
with  the  statement,  that  in  twenty  minutes  from  the  time  it 
enters  the  stomach  this  wonderful  drug  will  produce  abso- 
lute physical  and  nervous  relaxation  and  natural  sleep  for 
twelve  hours  thereafter,  and  that  he  will  waken  fully  re- 
freshed and  on  the  way  to  rapid  and  complete  recovery. 

The  innocent  bolus  of  bread,  charged  with  this  therapeu- 
tic suggestion,  is  then  administered  to  the  credulous  patient 
and  with  perfect  fidelity  to  its  trust,  in  twenty  minutes  it 


TRUE  SUGGESTION  AND  FAITH 95 

brings  the  promised  relaxation  and  sleep.  The  wonderful 
drug  has  done  its  work.  The  good  doctor  gently  steals  away 
into  the  darkness  of  the  night  and  reserves  a  knowing  smile 
until  he  is  out  of  sight.  He  pardons  himself  for  this  little 
deception  and  congratulates  himself  upon  once  more  having 
demonstrated  the  wonderful  and  mysterious  power  of  mind 
over  matter. 

The  secret  of  this  formula  also  is  Faith.  Every  move, 
every  look,  every  lineament  and  expression  of  the  physician 
has  betrayed  his  comprehensive  knowledge  and  understand- 
ing of  the  case  and  disclosed  unlimited  confidence  in  his  abil- 
ity to  effect  a  speedy  cure.  This  all  communicates  itself  to 
the  mind  and  consciousness  of  the  patient  who,  in  this  nervous 
condition,  is  intently  sensitive  to  every  detail  that  has  a  bear- 
ing upon  the  case.  This  is  all  rapidly  transmuted  into  con- 
fidence and  thence  into  Faith,  first,  in  the  physician,  and  next, 
in  the  magical  power  of  his  wonderful  medicine  to  bring  the 
desired  relief.  His  "Faith  is  well  founded,"  for  it  is  the 
faith  which  bears  upon  its  wings  the  healing  balm  of  peace 
and  life. 

This  is  but  a  single  illustration.  The  same  principle, 
however,  is  employed  in  an  almost  unlimited  variety  of  ways 
by  the  intelligent  physician.  In  thousands  of  instances  the 
medical  fraternity  daily  employ  similar  means  and  methods  in 
all  kinds  of  cases,  with  results  which  are  often  almost  unbe- 
lievable by  those  who  have  not  actually  witnessed  them. 

As  previously  suggested,  hypnotists  throughout  the  country 
have  so  played  upon  the  word  "Suggestion"  as  to  convey  the 
idea  that  the  process  above  outlined  is  only  one  of  the  many 
forms  of  Hypnotic-"Suggestion."  Even  physicians  them- 
selves have  not  always  carefully  distinguished  between  this 
method  of  suggestion  and  its  counterfeit  which  is  employed 
in  the  hypnotic  process.  The  distinction,  however,  is  funda- 
mental. The  processes  are  in  no  way  related  and  must  not 
be  confused. 

There  are  numerous  other  mental  processes  by  which 
disease  is  treated  and  cures  effected.  It  would  seem  unneces- 
sary to  go  into  fuller  details  for  the  reason  that  those  here 


96         THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

outlined  are  sufficient  to  develop  the  principle  under  considera- 
tion. A  critical  analysis  of  these  five  different  systems  or 
methods  of  curing  disease  cannot  fail  to  establish  the  substan- 
tial and  essential  fact  that  in  so  far  as  the  patient  himself  be- 
comes an  active  factor  in  the  curative  process  the  therapeutic 
agent  employed  is  one  and  the  same.  The  remedial  power  in 
each  and  every  instance  is  Faith.  Not  only  this,  it  is  literally 
the  same  kind  of  Faith,  namely,  Faith  of  the  patient  himself 
that  a  cure  will  be  effected. 

The  widely  divergent  methods  or  formulas  employed  by 
the  various  schools  and  cults  to  accomplish  the  same  result, 
are  likely  to  confuse  the  mind  of  the  student  in  the  future  as 
they  have  done  in  the  past,  concerning  the  real  curative  prin- 
ciple employed.  But  a  careful  analysis  will  disclose  the  fact 
that  they  all  work  to  the  same  end,  namely,  the  establishment 
of  a  therapeutic  Faith  in  the  mind  of  the  patient.  The  only 
real  differences  are  in  the  distinctive  methods  or  processes  by 
which  this  end  is  accomplished. 

A  simple  illustration  will  serve  to  bring  the  underlying 
principle  more  clearly  into  view: 

Let  it  be  supposed,  for  instance,  that  the  particular  thing 
to  be  accomplished  by  a  given  individual  is  the  lifting  of  a 
2,000  pound  stone  from  the  earth  a  distance  of  three  feet  to 
its  intended  place  upon  the  foundation  wall  of  a  building. 
The  individual  charged  with  the  accomplishment  of  this  task 
may  succeed  by  any  one  of  the  following  methods: 

1.  He  may  employ  the  services  of  ten  men,  each  of  whom 
can  lift  200  pounds  from  the  ground  to  the  required  height. 
By  applying  their  hands  directly  to  the  burden  and  uniting 
their  strength  in  a  common  effort  they  will  thus  be  able  to 
lift  it  into  place. 

2.  By  the  aid  of  jack-screws  he  may  be  able  to  accom- 
plish the  task  alone  in  course  of  time. 

3.  Or,  he  may  employ  a  derrick,  and  by  the  application  of 
steam,  gas,  electricity,  or  horse  power,  he  may  perform  the 
same  task  in  half  the  time. 

In  fact,  he  may,  if  he  is  a  thoroughly  skilled  mechanic,  ac- 
complish the  same  result  by  the  application  of  something  like 


TRUE  SUGGESTION  AND  FAITH 97 

720  different  combinations  of  the  six  so-called  "Mechanical 
Powers" — the  lever,  the  inclined  plane,  the  wheel  and  axle, 
the  screw,  the  pulley,  and  the  wedge. 

If  the  casual  observer,  however,  were  asked  to  define  the 
principle  back  of  all  these  various  processes,  he  would  very 
likely  be  confused.  If  he  were  the  skilled  mechanic .  and  fully 
acquainted  with  all'  the  physical  means  and  methods  of  ap- 
plying mechanical  power  he  would  very  likely  define  the  prin- 
ciple from  the  standpoint  of  pure  mechanics.  In  this  event 
he  would  name  such  of  the  six  mechanical  powers  as  might 
be  employed  in  each  particular  method,  and  would  insist  that 
he  had  thus  defined  the  principle  involved. 

But  in  the  final  analysis  there  is  an  active,  moving  princi- 
ple back  of  all  these  which  he  has  entirely  overlooked,  namely, 
the  independent,  self-conscious  and  rational  volition  of  the 
man  who  utilizes  these  various  processes  and  so  applies  them 
as  to  accomplish  the  desired  result.  All  these  various  me- 
chanical processes  and  appliances  are  but  so  many  different 
instruments,  by  means  of  which  his  intelligence  is  enabled  to 
produce  one  and  the  same  result. 

In  like  manner,  the  first  method  of  cure  above  named,  de- 
velops a  therapeutic  Faith  by  the  lever  of  prayer.  The  second 
accomplishes  the  same  result  by  the  inclined  plane  of  reason. 
The  third  employs  the  wheel  of  negation  and  the  axle  of  af- 
firmation. The  fourth  resorts  to  the  jack-screw  of  supersti- 
tion. The  fifth  relies  upon  the  pulley  of  suggestion  and  the 
wedge  of  wisdom.  But  they  all  accomplish  identically  the 
same  result,  namely,  the  establishment  of  an  abounding  Faith. 
And  this  is  the  therapeutic  principle  involved,  so  far  as  the 
patient  himself  is  an  active  factor  in  the  curative  process. 

As  there  are  some  720  different  combinations  in  which  the 
known  mechanical  powers  may  be  employed  to  produce  a  given 
result,  so  it  would  seem  that  there  is  an  almost  unlimited 
number  of  means  and  methods  by  which  therapeutic  Faith 
may  be  established  in  the  minds  of  patients.  This  suggestion 
may,  perhaps,  be  of  value  to  those  who  have  allowed  them- 
selves to  fall  into  the  unfortunate  error  of  assuming  that 


98         THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

there  is  but  one  method  of  producing  conditions  which  will 
cure  disease. 

Inasmuch  as  one  or  more  of  the  schools  or  systems  above 
referred  to,  as  well  as  numerous  other  metaphysical  systems 
not  here  mentioned,  profess  to  represent  the  Christ  Science, 
or  the  particular  method  supposed  by  them  to  have  been  em- 
ployed by  Christ  in  the  cure  of  disease,  it  may  not  be  deemed 
improper  to  offer  a  simple  suggestion  which  would  seem 
to  have  a  special  relevancy  in  this  connection. 

It  is  reported,  for  instance,  in  the  book  of  St.  Luke  (17, 
12  to  19)  that  as  Jesus  was  on  his  way  to  Jerusalem  he  was 
met  by  ten  lepers,  who  lifted  up  their  voices  and  said: 
"Jesus,  Master,  have  mercy  on  us."  Jesus  directed  them  to 
go  and  show  themselves  to  the  priests,  and  as  they  went 
they  were  cleansed.  One  of  the  number,  a  Samaritan,  turned 
back,  fell  on  his  face  at  Jesus'  feet  and  gave  him  thanks. 
Jesus  told  him  to  arise  and  go  his  way,  and  then  said  to  him 
by  way  of  explanation :  "Thy  faith  hath  made  thee  whole." 

In  the  book  of  St.  Mark  (6,  25  to  34)  is  also  told  the  story 
of  the  woman  who  touched  his  garment  and  was  instantly 
healed.  When  she,  in  like  manner,  fell  down  before  him, 
he  said  to  her  in  exactly  the  same  words:  "Daughter,  thy 
faith  hath  made  thee  whole." 

Again  we  read  (Mark,  10,  46  to  52)  of  the  blind  man  who 
besought  him  that  he  might  receive  his  sight.  When  he 
had  been  healed  Jesus  said  to  him  also,  in  the  same  significant 
words:  "Thy  faith  hath  made  thee  whole." 

The  suggestion  which  it  is  here  desired  to  offer  for  con- 
sideration by  all  those  who  profess  to  employ  Christ's  method 
in  the  art  of  healing  disease,  is  merely  this: 

Can  it  be  possible  that  Christ  knew  what  he  was  talking 
about  when  he  made  these  several  statements?  If  so,  he 
either  told  the  truth  or  a  deliberate  falsehood  when  he  said 
to  each  one  of  these  grateful  souls:  "Thy  faith  hath  made 
thee  whole."  If  he  told  a  falsehood  in  these  several  in- 
stances, then  his  testimony  must  be  held  to  be  entirely  unre- 
liable in  all  other  respects,  in  which  event  we  have  no  key 


TRUE  SUGGESTION  AND  FAITH 99 

whatever  by  which  to  unlock  the  mystery  of  this  man's  won- 
derful power  over  disease. 

On  the  other  hand,  if  he  really  knew  what  he  was  talking 
about,  and  told  the  truth  in  each  of  these  several  instances, 
then  it  is  clear  that  he  has  stated  the  facts  in  unmistakable 
terms.  He  said  to  each  of  these  grateful  beneficiaries :  "Thy 
Faith  hath  made  thee  whole."  If  this  is  the  statement  of 
a  truth,  then  Faith  is  the  therapeutic  agent  by  and  through 
which  all  these  particular  cures  were  wrought.  More  than 
this,  it  was  the  Faith  of  the  patient  himself  in  every  case,  for 
he  said:  "Thy  Faith,"  etc. 

According  to  the  requirements  of  this  simple  method  there 
seems  to  be  nothing  which  lays  upon  suffering  humanity  the 
impossible  burden  of  thinking  matter  out  of  existence  as  a 
prerequisite  to  physical  health.  It  does  not  appear  from  the 
record  of  these  cases  that  any  of  these  sufferers  denied  the 
existence  of  matter.  It  does  not  appear  that  they  even  denied 
the  existence  of  disease.  It  is  not  in  evidence  that  they  were 
compelled  to  affirm  that  "All  is  good."  In  fact,  if  the  re- 
ports be  true,  it  would  seem  that  they  failed  to  conform  to  any 
of  the  prescribed  formulas  which  are  deemed  essential  by  cer- 
tain of  our  modern  metaphysical  healers  who  profess  to  prac- 
tice Christ's  methods.  And  yet,  they  were  cured.  More- 
over, they  were  cured  instantly.  And  in  order  that  each 
might  know  the  secret  by  which  his  marvelous  cure  was 
wrought,  Christ  said  again  and  again :  "Thy  Faith  hath  made 
thee  whole." 

In  the  light  of  all  we  know  today  concerning  the  cure  of 
disease  by  suggestion,  and  in  view  of  his  own  unequivocal 
statement,  does  it  not  seem  possible  that  when  the  Master 
said :  "Thy  faith  hath  made  thee  whole,"  he  crystallized  into 
definite  form  a  great  fundamental  principle  which  underlies 
all  systems  of  metaphysical  healing  wherein  the  efforts  of  the 
patient  himself  are  a  potential  factor? 

Such  is  indeed  the  case.  It  could  not  be  stated  more 
clearly.  It  cannot  be  expressed  more  simply.  It  will  never 
be  declared  with  greater  scientific  exactness.  It  is  just  pos- 
sible, however,  that  our  modern  method  of  expressing  the 


100       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

same  truth  will  bring  it  more  definitely  within  the  range  of 
our  scientific  comprehension.  With  that  thought  in  view, 
the  following  statement  of  the  therapeutic  principle  here  re- 
ferred to  may  have  a  possible  value : 

The  relation  of  the  mind  to  the  physical  body  is  such  that 
every  mental  state  or  condition  has  its  reflex  expression  in 
the  physical  organism.  Just  why  this  is  so  is  a  proposition 
which  might  lead  to  endless  discussion  with  fruitless  results. 
But  perhaps  one  of  the  best  known  and  most  frequently 
demonstrated  facts  of  medical  science  is  comprised  in  the  state- 
ment that  the  state  of  the  patient's  mind  is  a  potent  factor 
which  must  be  taken  into  account  in  the  treatment  and  cure  of 
disease  of  all  kinds.  The  regular  practitioner  who  is  in  daily 
and  hourly  touch  with  the  suffering  will  fully  understand  the 
meaning  of  this  proposition,  for  it  embodies  a  fact  with  which 
he  is  compelled  to  deal  in  every  case -he  is  called  to  attend. 

He  knows  that  fear,  anger,  worry,  anxiety,  sorrow,  gloom, 
doubt,  despair,  unhappiness  and  excitement  of  every  kind 
and  degree,  are  destructive  mental  conditions  which  have  a 
tendency  to  produce  disease,  and  when  so  produced  to  aggra- 
vate and  accelerate  its  destructive  action  upon  the  physical 
body. 

He  likewise  knows  that  courage,  brightness,  cheerfulness, 
freedom  from  care,  with  perseverance,  determination,  hope 
and  Faith  are  all  mighty  factors  to  supplement  Nature's  Con- 
structive Principle  in  the  restoration  and  conservation  of 
health  and  life. 

And  again,  there  are  many  specific  diseases  which  are 
unquestionably  due  entirely  to  mental  causes.  Wherever  this 
condition  obtains  it  is  entirely  within  the  power  of  the  pa- 
tient to  heal  himself  by  purely  mental  processes,  if  he  but  un- 
derstand the  principle  involved  and  the  method  of  its  appli- 
cation. 

In  just  so  far  as  the  mental  state,  condition  or  attitude 
of  the  patient  is  or  may  become  a  salutary  factor  at  all  in  the 
therapeutic  process,  it  is  based  upon  three  constituent  mental 
elements,  viz: 

i.     The  desire  to  be  well. 


TRUE  SUGGESTION  AND  FAITH  101 

2.  The  will  to  become  well. 

3.  An  abounding  and  unwavering  Faith  that  the  agencies 
employed  will  make  him  well. 

These  are  conditions  which  are  practically  indispensable 
to  recovery  even  where  the  disease  or  injury  may  be  one 
which  requires  the  application  of  other  than  purely  mental  or 
physical  remedies.  Every  physician  or  surgeon  who  has 
given  any  attention  to  the  psychology  of  his  profession  will 
appreciate  the  accuracy  of  this  statement. 

And  here  again,  it  will  be  observed  that  Faith  is  the 
ultimate  condition  or  state  of  mind  to  be  attained.  All  things 
else  are  but  means,  to  an  end,  and  Faith  is  that  end. 

It  is  now  possible  to  make  clear  something  of  the  extent 
to  which  the  term  "Suggestion"  has  been  abused  and  libeled 
by  those  who  are  responsible  for  having  inducted  it  into  the 
literature  of  hypnotism  and  associated  it  with  the  hypnotic 
process. 

It  will  be  conceded  that  in  all  the  various  metaphysical 
processes  of  healing  above  referred  to  suggestion  plays  an 
important  part.  In  fact,  it  may  as  well  be  admitted  that 
suggestion  constitutes  the  mechanical  device — speaking  in 
terms  of  physical  nature — by  means  of  which  the  mind  of 
the  patient  is  slowly  but  surely  lifted  from  the  destructive 
level  of  fear  and  distrust  to  the  exalted  plane  of  constructive 
Faith.  It  is  the  lever,  so  to  speak,  by  which  the  mind  of  the 
patient  is  lifted  out  of  the  dirt  of  doubt  and  despair  and  set 
in  its  rightful  place  in  the  constructive  wall  of  therapeutic 
Faith.  It  is  therefore  a  most  potent  factor  in  the  curative 
process. 

As  already  stated,  however,  the  term  has  become  so  inti- 
mately and  inseparably  identified  and  associated  with  the  pro- 
fessional hypnotist  and  with  the  language  and  literature  of 
hypnotism  that  to  the  average  mind  it  conveys  but  one  mean- 
ing. Wherever  it  is  employed  in  a  therapeutic  sense  it  has 
come  to  be  understood  as  Hypnotic-"Suggestion." 

Indeed,  recent  writers  have  gone  so  far  as  to  attribute  all 
the  results  of  the  various  metaphysical  systems  of  healing  to 
Hypnotic-"Suggestion."  The  injustice  and  the  rank  fallacy 


102       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

of  this  will  now  be  apparent.  The  character  of  suggestion 
by  means  of  which  the  mental  healer,  the  Christian  Scientist, 
or  the  good  doctor  with  his  harmless  bread  pill,  establishes 
a  therapeutic  Faith  in  the  mind  of  his  patient  is  as  far  re- 
moved from  Hypnotic-"Suggestion"  as  truth  is  from  false- 
hood. 

Thus  it  is  that  under  the  name  of  "Suggestion"  thou- 
sands of  the  most  wonderful  cures  have  been  accredited  to 
hypnotism  which  are  no  more  related  to  the  hypnotic  process 
than  they  are  to  the  tides  of  the  ocean  or  the  Arctic  Circle. 
They  are,  in  fact,  the  results  of  true  therapeutic  suggestion 
which  is  always  and  under  all  conditions  and  circumstances 
"Independent  Suggestion"  in  some  form. 

While  it  is  not  within  the  province  of  this  particular  vol- 
ume to  elaborate  the  subject  of  therapeutic  suggestion  in 
particular,  nor  therapeutics  in  general,  it  may  nevertheless 
not  be  amiss  to  here  present  the  following  specific  facts,  and 
state  that,  in  Vol.  Ill,  of  this  Series,  the  subject  will  be 
more  fully  covered : 

1.  The  only  true  and  legitimate  therapeutic  suggestion 
is  Independent  Suggestion. 

2.  Hypnotic-" Suggestion"  is  in  no  legitimate  sense  ther- 
apeutic in  its  action,  but,  on  the  contrary,  is  destructive  in 
its  essential  nature. 

3.  There  is  not  a  single  result  claimed  for  hypnotism  or 
for  Hypnotic-" Suggestion"  which  cannot  be  accomplished  by 
legitimate  therapeutic  agencies  that  do  not  in  the  slightest  de- 
gree interfere   with   the  patient's   unimpaired  control   of  all 
his  independent,  self-conscious  and  rational  faculties,  capaci- 
ties and  powers.     The  breadth  of  this  statement  is  fully  un- 
derstood and  appreciated.     It  is  not  idly  made.    Its  truth  will 
be  made  plain  to  those  who  follow  the  subject  to  its  con- 
clusion. 

4.  While  it  is  true  that  all  the  various  schools  of  meta- 
physical healing  employ   suggestion   as  a  therapeutic   agent, 
it  may  be  said  in  all  sincerity  and  truth  and  without  preju- 
dice that  not  one  of  them  makes  use  of  it  in  an  intelligent 
and   purposeful   manner. 


TRUE  SUGGESTION  AND  FAITH  103 

By  this  is  meant  that  the  metaphysical  healer,  generally 
speaking,  does  not  know  that  suggestion  has  anything  what- 
ever to  do  with  the  process  he  employs.  He  attributes  his 
cures  to  other  agencies  entirely.  Even  if  told  that  he  em- 
ploys suggestion  as  the  basic  principle  of  his  curative  process 
he  would  doubtless  be  offended,  for  he  is  not  aware  of  the 
fact  that  he  employs  this  agency. 

On  the  other  hand,  he  knows  that  he  does  not  intend  to 
do  so.  It  is  therefore  perfectly  natural  for  him  to  attribute 
his  cures  to  whatever  agency  he  may  have. had  in  mind,  even 
though  entirely  imaginary  on  his  part.  This,  however,  does 
not  alter  the  fact  that  he  does  employ  suggestion,  and  em- 
ploys it  successfuly  as  far  as  he  goes. 

But  it  will  be  observed  that  inasmuch  as  he  makes  use 
of  it  unconsciously  and  unintentionally,  this  is  neither  an  in- 
telligent nor  a  purposeful  application  of  the  principle  in- 
volved. It  follows  that  the  therapeutic  results  of  all  these 
various  metaphysical  systems  are  meager  as  compared  with 
those  which  might  otherwise  obtain  if  the  underlying  prin- 
ciple were  fully  understood  by  the  operator  and  intelligently 
applied. 

5.  The  intelligent  physician  who,  .by  means  of  suggestion, 
stimulates  the  mind  of  his  patient  to  a  therapeutic  Faith  in 
the  healing  properties  and  powers  of  his  medicines,  makes  a 
far  more  intelligent  and  purposeful  application  of  sugges- 
tion, as  far  as  he  goes,  than  does  the  metaphysical  healer. 
For  it  will  be  seen  that  the  physician  understands  the  prin- 
ciple involved  and  applies  it  in  such  manner  as  to  obtain 
direct  and  specific  results.  In  this  manner  many  a  drug  of 
indifferent  medicinal  value  has,  through  the  senses  of  sight, 
smell,  touch  and  taste,  been  made  by  the  subtle  intelligence 
of  the  physician  to  carry  to  the  consciousness  of  the  patient 
a  powerful  suggestion  of  life  and  health.  Many  a  cure  has 
thus  been  wrought  by  the  aid  of  mental  suggestion  where 
physical  remedies  alone  might  have  failed. 

But  there  is  an  exact  and  thoroughly  scientific  method  of 
applying  therapeutic  suggestion,  with  which  even  the  intelli- 
gent physician  is  not  yet  fully  conversant.  It  is  rationally 


104       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

intelligent,  entirely  purposeful,  and  thoroughly  truthful  in 
every  detail,  and  when  fully  understood  must  commend  itself 
to  the  thoughtful  consideration  of  the  medical  fraternity  as  a 
powerful  supplementary  factor  in  the  treatment  and  cure  of 
disease. 

The  development  of  this  subject,  however,  lies  wholly 
outside  the  limitations  and  purposes  of  this  particular  volume, 
and  must  therefore  be  reserved  for  future  consideration. 

6.  Thus  far  but  a  single  phase  of  the  subject  of  true 
therapeutic  suggestion  has  been  considered,  namely,  that  part 
which  the  patient  himself  plays  in  the  therapeutic  process.  It 
must  not  be  inferred  from  this,  however,  that  suggestion  is 
the  only  curative  agency  in  Nature,  nor  that  it  is  by  any 
means  the  most  important  or  salutary  in  its  effects. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  our  primary  purpose  has 
been  to  expose  to  view  some  of  the  fallacies  of  hypnotism  and 
Hypnotic-"Suggestion."  To  accomplish  this  result  it  has 
been  necessary  to  clearly  differentiate  between  what  is  right- 
fully entitled  to  be  known  as  Hypnotic-"Suggestion"  and 
what  has  here  been  defined  as  true  therapeutic  suggestion. 
Having  done  this,  our  real  task  has  been  accomplished. 

Lest  there  may  be  some,  however,  who  might  otherwise 
obtain  an  exaggerated  or  erroneous  impression  as  to  the  rela- 
tive merit  and  value  of  true  therapeutic  suggestion,  it  would 
seem  proper  to  here  state  more  explicitly  that  the  therapeutic 
agencies  of  Nature  are  both  numerous  and  potent. 

In  the  order  of  Nature  they  divide  themselves  into  three 
distinct  and  separate  classes  according  to  the  planes  of  their 
activity.  That  is  to  say,  they  are  classified  as  Physical,  Spir- 
itual and  Psychical.  Those  that  are  purely  physical  act  di- 
rectly upon  the  physical  organism  of  man.  Those  that  are 
spiritual  in  like  manner  act  directly  upon  his  spiritual  or- 
ganism, and  those  that  are  wholly  psychical  act  directly  upon 
the  soul  or  intelligence. 

Therapeutic  suggestion  falls  under  the  third  class  here 
named.  It  is  entirely  psychic  in  its  nature  and  action.  But 
it  must  not  be  understood  that  suggestion  is  the  only  psychic 
agency  of  a  therapeutic  nature.  Neither  is  it  the  most  po- 


TRUE  SUGGESTION  AND  FAITH  105 

tent.  It  is  but  one  of  the  many  agencies  which  Nature  has 
placed  within  the  reach  of  human  intelligence  by  and  through 
which  man  may  establish  and  maintain  harmony  in  the  three- 
fold relationship  of  his  being.  This  constitutes  health.  This 
means  the  cure  of  disease.  This  is  the  ultimate  goal  of  ther- 
apeutics. 

Physical  remedies,  within  the  limits  of  their  therapeutic 
powers,  accomplish  this  result  by  direct  action  upon  the  phys- 
ical organism.  Spiritual  remedies  accomplish  the  same  re- 
sult through  their  action  upon  the  spiritual  organism. 
Psychic  remedies,  in  like  manner,  reach  the  same  end  through 
their  direct  action  upon  man's  essential  being,  the  soul,  or 
intelligence. 

Thus,  it  will  be  observed,  there  are  three  distinct  and  sep- 
arate keys  to  the  temple  of  health.  One  of  these  unlocks  the 
outer  gate  which  leads  to  the  great  broad  court  of  physical 
Nature.  Another  unlocks  the  middle  door,  which  leads  to 
the  inner  court  of  spiritual  Nature.  The  third  unlocks  the 
secret  door  to  the  inner  sanctuary,  the  Holy  of  Holies. 

According  to  our  practical  western  way  of  looking  at 
things,  the  owner  of  a  splendid  three-story  residence  would 
be  considered  very  foolish,  to  say  the  least,  if  he  should  lock 
the  doors  leading  to  the  second  and  third  stories  and  then 
deliberately  throw  away  the  keys.  By  so  doing  he  would 
only  confine  himself  to  the  inconveniences  and  disadvantages 
of  an  ordinary  flat,  and  deliberately  deny  himself  and  family 
the  facilities,  advantages  and  comforts  to  which  they  are  of 
right  entitled,  and  upon  which  he  must  still  continue  to  pay 
taxes. 

No  less  foolish  is  the  man  who  would  lock  any  of  the 
doors  of  his  being  through  which  the  true  therapeutic  agen- 
cies of  Nature  may  enter  and  come  to^his  relief  in  the  hour 
of  his  extremity. 

Flooding  the  basement  of  a  three-story  residence  will 
never  put  out  a  fire  in  the  garret  nor  on  the  roof.  Turning 
a  hose  on  the  roof  is  not  likely  to  stop  a  fire  in  the  cellar. 
And  yet  these  are  the  methods  too  often  employed  in  the 
treatment  of  disease. 


100       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

The  narrow-minded  and  conventional  dogmatist  of  the 
purely  materialistic  schools  confines  his  operations  chiefly  to 
the  ground  floor  and  basement.  In  a  fair  percentage  of  cases 
he  is  successful.  Why?  Because  a  very  large  percentage  of 
disease  is  of  purely  physical  origin  and  comes  from  an  over- 
heated furnace,  so  to  speak. 

The  spiritual  magnetic  healer  operates  almost  exclusively 
in  the  second  story,  although  he  does  not  always  know  it. 
He,  too,  reports  many  "put  outs."  Why  is  this?  Merely  be- 
cause the  fires  of  disease  with  which  he  is  dealing  happen  to 
be  of  spiritual  origin.  They  therefore  yield  to  spiritual  agen- 
cies. 

The  mental  healer  and  the  Christian  Scientist  confine 
their  operations  entirely  to  the  third  story  and  the  garret. 
And  they  also  conquer  many  fires  of  disease.  Lightning  and 
falling  embers  usually  catch  in  the  roof.  In  all  such  cases 
these  good  people  happen  to  be  in  exactly  the  right  locality. 
This  is  because  many  diseases  are  of  purely  psychic  or  men- 
tal origin.  They  therefore  yield  to  the  higher  treatment. 

But  the  ideal  fireman  is  he  who  is  able  to  quickly  and 
accurately  locate  a  blaze  and  apply  the  proper  extinguisher, 
no  matter  whether  the  fire  be  in  the  basement  or  on  the  roof. 

In  like  manner  the  ideal  physician  is  the  man  who  is  able — 

1.  To   quickly   and    accurately    diagnose    a    disease    and 
determine  its  exact  location,  nature  and  origin. 

2.  To  apply  the  remedy  that  will  reach  the  seat  of  dis- 
ease  most   directly,   whether   it  be   of   physical,   spiritual   or 
psychical  origin. 

The  pioneers  of  the  medical  profession  are  to-day  ap- 
proaching this  happy  consummation.  When  they  shall  have 
fully  attained  the  high  position  here  suggested  they  will 
command  the  unlimited  confidence  of  their  fellow-men,  but 
not  before.  Then  and  then  only  will  they  be  entitled  to  the 
name  of  "Great  Physicians." 


POST-MORTEM  HYPNOTISM 107 

CHAPTER  XV. 

POST-MORTEM   HYPNOTISM. 

Up  to  this  point  the  subject  of  hypnotism  has  been  viewed 
from  the  standpoint  of  physical  Nature  entirely.  But  there 
is  yet  another,  a  higher  and  more  comprehensive  position  from 
which  to  examine  it. 

If  the  facts  thus  far  taken  into  account  leave  in  the  mind 
a  possible  doubt  as  to  the  destructive  character  of  the  hyp- 
notic process  that  doubt  will  be  dissolved  by  the  added  light  of 
the  higher  science. 

It  has  come  to  be  pretty  generally  conceded,  even  by  men 
of  physical  science,  that  the  physical  body  of  man  is  but  an 
instrument  of  the  intelligent  soul  which  inhabits  and  oper- 
ates it.  It  is,  perhaps,  not  so  generally  understood  and  ac- 
knowledged that  this  intelligent  entity,  the  soul,  continues 
to  exist  independently  of  the  physical  body  after  the  transi- 
tion called  death. 

Such,  however,  is  the  case.  This  is  one  of  the  demon- 
strated facts  of  Natural  Science,  to  which  reference  has  al- 
ready been  made.  This,  therefore,  is  the  primary  and  funda- 
mental fact  which  must  be  taken  into  account  in  the  final 
determination  of  the  merits  or  demerits  of  hypnosis  as  a 
therapeutic  agent. 

Those  who  are  prepared  to  accept  the  fact  of  a  life  after 
physical  death,  even  tentatively,  will  not  hesitate  to  enter- 
tain, upon  the  same  basis,  its  natural  corollary,  which  is  that 
whatever  affects  the  essential  individual,  the  intelligent  en- 
tity, the  soul,  is  of  vastly  greater  importance  to  him  than 
is  that  which  affects  only  the  temporary  physical  instrument 
of  that  intelligent  soul,  the  physical  body. 

Natural  Science  has  not  only  demonstrated  with  abso- 
lute certainty  the  continuity  of  life  after  physical  death.  It 
has  done  much  more  than  this.  Among  other  things,  it  has 
studied  this  subject  of  hypnotism  and  Hypnotic-"Suggestion" 
from  the  same  high  plane  and  point  of  vantage.  It  has  an- 
alyzed the  process  and  carefully  noted  the  results  trom  the 


108       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

planes  of  spiritual  and  psychical  Nature.  The  facts  of  Nat- 
ural Science,  therefore,  which  bear  upon  this  subject  from 
the  plane  of  man's  essential  being,  the  soul,  must  also  be 
accorded  their  full  measure  of  value  and  importance  in  the 
final  solution  of  the  great  problem. 

These  are  the  facts  which  physical  science  has  thus  far 
almost  entirely  ignored.  These  are  the  facts  to  which  the 
professional  hypnotist  never  refers.  These  are  the  essential 
facts  upon  which  alone  the  intelligent  student  must  depend 
in  his  final  analysis.  These,  in  truth,  are  the  facts  upon 
which  the  cause  of  hypnotism  and  the  professional  hypnotist 
must  ultimately  stand  or  fall. 

Strange  as  the  term  may  sound  to  the  unaccustomed  ear, 
and  unsubstantial  as  the  idea  may  appear  to  the  average 
reader,  the  one  primary  and  fundamental  fact  upon  which 
all  other  facts  depend  for  their  correct  reading  is,  that  there 
is  a  "Post-Mortem"  view  of  this  question  which  cannot  be 
ignored  by  those  who  love  the  truth,  nor  by  those  who  desire 
to  guard  themselves  and  their  loved  ones  from  the  insidious 
dangers  which  menace  them  under  the  seductive  guise  and 
fascinating  names  of  "Hypnotism"  and  Hypnotic-" Sugges- 
tion." 

For  it  is  a  fact  that  the  school  of  the  higher  science  has 
followed  the  hypnotist  and  his  subject  into  the  realm  of  spir- 
itual life  which  has  been  designated  by  the  school  of  physical 
science  as  the  "Unknowable."  It  has  there  gathered  many  ad- 
ditional facts  of  Nature  which  it  is  able  to  definitely  formu- 
late and  present  with  unqualified  assurance.  Among  those 
additional  facts  which  have  a  specific  bearing  upon  the  sub- 
ject under  consideration  the  following  are  of  particular  im- 
portance : 

1.  Hypnotism,  in   its   essential  nature,   is    a    subjective, 
psychic  process. 

2.  Its   most   direct   and   essential   results   are   related   to 
and  registered  upon  the  soul,  rather  than  upon  the  physical 
body. 

3.  As   might   readily  be   anticipated,   therefore,   physical 
death  does  not  necessarily  break,  destroy,  counteract  nor  even 


POST-MORTEM  HYPNOTISM 109 

mitigate  the  hypnotic  relation  when  the  same  has  been  fully 
entered  into  and  established  upon  the  physical  plane. 

A  suggestive  hint  of  this  important,  underlying  fact  may 
be  obtained  from  a  simple  experiment  which  is  already  fa- 
miliar to  both  hypnotists  and  students  everywhere. 

For  instance,  it  is  a  well-known  fact,  fully  established  by 
oft-repeated  demonstrations,  to  which  hypnotists  of  all 
grades,  kinds  and  schools  will  testify,  that  a  "suggestion"  or 
command  given  to  a  subject  while  he  is  in  a  state  of  profound 
hypnosis,  to  be  executed  or  performed  at  some  future  time 
(commonly  designated  as  a  post-hypnotic  suggestion),  will 
be  obeyed  with  absolute  fidelity  at  the  time  and  place  and 
in  the  exact  manner  prescribed. 

That  is  to  say,  an  Hypnotic-"Suggestion"  may  be  given 
to-day  to  be  executed  by  the  subject  a  week,  a  month,  a  year, 
or  even  ten  years  hence,  and  when  the  time  comes  the  com- 
mand will  be  executed  with  perfect  fidelity,  even  though  the 
subject  and  thp  operator  may  at  the  time  be  thousands  of 
miles  apart,  and  the  hypnotist  may  have  forgotten  the  inci- 
dent entirely. 

In  order  that  this  statement  shall  not  be  misinterpreted 
as  an  idle  or  meaningless  assertion,  the  following  carefully 
worded  statement  is  here  quoted  from  the  recent  work  of 
Prof.  De  Lawrence,  fully  sustaining  every  assertion  made. 
He  says : 

"Suggest  to  a  subject  while  he  is  sound  asleep  that  in  eight  weeks 
he  will  mail  you  a  letter  with  a  blank  piece  of  note  paper  inside,  and 
during  the  intervening  period  you  may  yourself  forget  the  occurrence, 
but,  in  exactly  eight  weeks,  he  will  carry  out  the  suggestion." 

Quoting  still  further  from  the  same  work : 
"Suggest  to  a  subject  that  in  ninety  days  from  a  given  date  he  will 

come  to   your  house  with  his  coat  on  inside  out,  and  he   will   most 

certainly  do  so." 

The  deep  and  ominous  importance  of  all  this  will  be  bet- 
ter understood  and  appreciated  when  the  further  fact  is 
known  that,  after  a  subject  in  a  state  of  profound  hypnosis 
has  thus  been  given  a  command  to  be  executed  at  a  future 
date,  and  is  then  awakened,  he  retains  no  memory  or  knowl- 
edge of  what  has  occurred  during  the  hypnotic  sleep.  He 


110       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

has  no  knowledge  that  he  has  been  charged  with  the  execu- 
tion of  a  command  or  "suggestion"  of  any  kind.  He  imme- 
diately goes  about  his  own  affairs  in  a  manner  which  would 
lead  the  most  acute  detective  or  the  most  learned  psycholo- 
gist to  infer  that  he  is  entirely  free  from  all  hypnotic  influ- 
ence and  in  a  perfectly  normal  condition.  No  one,  in  fact, 
would  ever  suspect  that  his  consciousness  has  been  irrevo- 
cably impressed  with  a  "suggestion"  which  he  is  bound  to 
execute  when  the  time  comes.  He  not  only  conducts  him- 
self after  the  manner  of  a  free  moral  agent  in  full  posses- 
sion of  all  his  rational  faculties,  capacities  and  powers,  but  if 
questioned  on  the  subject  would  undoubtedly  assert  and  main- 
tain with  strenuous  vigor  his  perfect  freedom  from  all  hyp- 
notic influence  or  control. 

Notwithstanding  all  this,  when  the  appointed  time  arrives 
for  the  execution  of  the  post-Hypnotic-"Suggestion"  or  com- 
mand, he  goes  and  does  the  thing  "suggested"  or  commanded 
to  be  done,  with  absolute  obedience  and  with  the  utmost 
fidelity  to  every  detail.  Moreover,  the  perfectly  natural  man- 
ner in  which  he  conducts  himself  through  it  all  would  lead 
any  intelligent  observer,  who  did  not  know  the  facets,  to  infer 
that  he  was  impelled  by  his  own  independent,  self-conscious 
and  rational  volition.  Even  the  subject  himself  is  under  the 
impression  that  this  is  so. 

But  the  fact  remains  that  he  is  simply  executing  a  "sug- 
gestion" or  command  which  was  given  him  weeks,  months, 
or  perhaps  years  before  while  he  was  in  a  profound  hypnotic 
sleep  of  which  he  has  no  knowledge  or  remembrance  whatever. 
Ask  him  why  be  does  the  particular  thing  commanded  to  be 
done,  and  in  all  probability  he  cannot  tell  you.  Pressed  for 
an  explanation  of  the  motive  which  impelled  him,  he  will 
tell  you  that  he  simply  felt  an  impulse  to  go  and  do  that  par- 
ticular thing,  and  that  he  did  it  in  obedience  to  the  impulse 
without  stopping  to  reason  upon  it  or  anticipate  the  results 
which  might  follow. 

Thus  it  has  come  to  be  known  as  a  scientific  fact  that 
the  hypnotic  relation,  once  established,  continues  indefinitely. 
Not  only  this,  it  continues  even  though  the  hypnotist  may 


POST-MORTEM  HYPNOTISM 111 

have  entirely  forgotten  both  the  subject  and  the  incident  in 
the  meantime.  It  continues  though  the  subject  be  wholly 
unconscious  of  the  fact.  It  continues  regardless  of  the  will, 
wish,  memory  or  knowledge  of  either  party,  or  of  both.  It 
continues  though  the  parties  be  separated  as  far  as  the  oppo- 
site poles  of  the  earth.  It  continues  without  regard  to  time, 
place,  distance  or  physical  environment.  It  continues,  in 
fact,  unbroken  and  unabated  until  both  shall  come  to  recog-' 
nize  the  law  they  have  thus  violated  and  shall,  of  their  own 
volition,  unite  in  a  mutual  effort  to  restore  themselves  to  a 
normal  relation.  Even  then  it  often  becomes  a  labor  of  years 
on  the  part  of  both  to  return  again  to  the  condition  of  inde- 
pendence from  which  they  started. 

With  these  established  facts  in  mind,  those  who  know 
that  there  is  a  life  beyond  the  grave,  as  well  as  those  who 
honestly  believe  that  there  is  such  a  life,  will  readily  under- 
stand and  appreciate  the  horrible  truth  that  even  physical 
death  is,  of  itself,  no  barrier  to  the  operation  of  this  subtle 
and  mysterious  power  when  once  the  hypnotic  relation  has 
been  fully  entered  into. 

For  this  is  but  another  demonstration  of  the  seemingly 
universal  continuity  of  natural  law.  Every  law  of  individual 
life  upon  the  plane  of  physical  Nature  has  its  correlation  upon 
the  spiritual  planes  of  being.  They  are,  indeed,  but  the  same 
laws  running  through  all  the  varied  phases  and  conditions  of 
Nature.  The  laws  of  spiritual  life  are  but  an  extension  or 
continuation  of  the  laws  of  life  upon  the  physical  plane.  Or, 
perhaps,  more  accurately  speaking,  the  laws  of  physical  life 
are  but  an  extension  or  continuation  of  the  laws  of  life  upon 
the  spiritual  planes. 

As  a  natural  sequel  of  all  this,  it  has  been  found  that  in 
every  instance  where  the  hypnotist  survives  his  subject  upon 
the  physical  plane  the  disembodied  subject  is  still  irrevocably 
bound  by  the  same  immutable  and  inexorable  law  which 
bound  him  upon  earth.  He  is  thus  bound  regardless  of  his 
own  will  or  desire.  He  is  so  bound  notwithstanding  the 
physically  embodied  hypnotist  may  be  entirely  ignorant  of 
the  fact  and  quite  unconscious  of  the  bond.  This  strange 


112       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

bondage  continues  throughout  the  lifetime  of  the  hypnotist, 
and  during  this  period,  however  long  or  short  it  may  be, 
the  subject  is  known  upon  the  spiritual  planes  of  life  as  an 
"earth-bound"  soul. 

And  what  could  better  define  his  real  condition?  He  is, 
indeed,  "earth-bound,"  in  the  most  exact  and  literal  meaning 
of  the  term.  He  is  compelled  by  the  subtle  and  overwhelm- 
ing power  of  that  mysterious  force  to  walk  the  paths  of  earth 
in  expiation  of  his  offense  against  the  primary  and  funda- 
mental law  of  individual  being. 

Not  only  this,  in  an  agony  of  protest  born  of  suffering 
and  repentance,  he  is  compelled  to  dog  the  footsteps  of  his 
self-appointed  human  master  through  all  the  varied  scenes 
and  experiences  of  that  master's  earthly  career.  He  is  com- 
pelled by  this  law  of  association  to  look  upon  his  hypnotist 
in  all  the  deformity  of  his  perverted  and  distorted  human 
nature.  Added  to  all  this,  he  is  bound  by  that  mysterious 
bond  to  stand  in  mute  and  helpless  agony  and  see  the  chains 
of  abject  servitude  forged  about  the  souls  of  other  victims. 

And  so  the  narration  of  actual,  known  results  and  con- 
ditions might  be  continued,  until  the  brain  is  weary  and  the 
heart  is  sick,  but  the  cry  of  the  soul  rings  louder  still  that 
the  end  is  not  yet. 

The  final  reckoning  is  reserved  for  that  time  which  can- 
not be  avoided,  when  physical  nature  and  human  flesh  shall 
no  longer  conceal  the  truths  of  the  soul. 

In  that  hour  when  the  hypnotist  shall  stand  face  to  face 
with  his  subject  upon  the  lowest  plane  of  spiritual  life  and 
both  shall  come  to  recognize  the  immutable  and  inexorable 
law  of  individual  responsibility,  this  is  the  real  beginning 
of  mutual  retribution. 

For  they  stand  together  upon  the  path  which  leads  into 

THE   WAY  OF  DEATH. 


WHAT  OF  THE  HYPNOTIST? 113 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

WHAT  OF  THE  HYPNOTIST? 

There  are  hypnotists  and  hypnotists. 

Their  number  is  rapidly  increasing.  Hypnotic  "Schools," 
"Institutes"  and  "Colleges"  are  springing  up  on  every  Tiand 
to  teach  the  art  of  hypnotizing.  Their  advertisements  appear 
in  almost  every  issue  of  our  leading  journals  and  periodicals 
all  over  the  world.  Their  so-called  "graduates"  are  carrying 
the  practice  of  their  art  into  all  the  walks  of  life. 

Even  our  school  children,  mere  boys  and  girls,  have  caught 
the  inspiration.  In  childish  innocence  and  youthful  ignor- 
ance, they  are  permitted  to  amuse  themselves  with  hypnotic 
experiments,  the  results  of  which  are  wholly  unknown  to 
them. 

The  hypnotist  is  thus  making  his  impress  upon  society 
in  such  manner  as  to  warrant  a  definite  and  searching  in- 
quiry into  his  motives  and  purposes  as  well  as  his  status  as 
a  member  of  society. 

What,  then,  of  the  hypnotist?  What  of  his  moral  status? 
In  order  to  arrive  at  a  just  conclusion  and  be  able  to  answer 
these  questions  fully  and  satisfactorily  and  without  preju- 
dice, it  is  necessary  to  study  the  subject  from  the  standpoint 
of  motive  and  intent.  We  judge  men  much  more  by  their 
motives  and  intentions  than  by  the  actual  results  of  their 
actions.  We  prefer  to  be  so  judged  ourselves,  especially  when 
we  know  that  our  motives  and  intentions  are  just. 

We  may,  indeed,  fully  intend  to  do  a  noble  and  generous 
act,  only  to  find  when  we  come  to  look  upon  the  results  that 
it  was  a  grievous  and  unhappy  mistake.  We  may  even  plan 
a  deliberate  wrong,  only  to  find  that  the  results  are,  after  all, 
just  and  beneficent.  From  the  ethical  point  of  vi2w,  how- 
ever, we  must  in  both  instances  be  judged  by  the  motive  and 
intent  by  which  we  were  actuated. 

In  the  analysis  which  follows,  therefore,  we  are  not  study- 
ing results  alone.  We  are,  on  the  contrary,  analyzing  motives 
and  intentions.  The  final  results  of  hypnotism  upon  both 


114      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

the  hypnotist  and  his  subject  will  be  more  fully  considered 
in  Part  III  of  this  volume. 

Ethically  or  morally  considered,  hypnotists  naturally  di- 
vide themselves  into  three  distinct  and  separate  classes,  viz.: 

1.  Those  whose  motives  and  intentions  are  good. 

2.  Those  whose  motives  and  intentions  are  indifferent. 

3.  Those  whose  motives  and  intentions  are  bad. 

Remembering  at  all  times  that  the  actual  results  accom- 
plished do  not  necessarily  correspond  with  nor  furnish  a 
proper  index  of  the  motives  and  intentions  back  of  them,  a 
brief  consideration  of  these  three  classes  of  hypnotists,  in 
the  order  suggested,  cannot  fail  to  be  both  interesting  and  in- 
structive. 

In  the  class  with  those  whose  motives  and  intentions  are 
both  good  and  pure  and  in  every  other  way  commendable  we 
have: 

1.  The  scientist. 

2.  The  physician. 

The  chief  motive  which  inspires  the  scientist  is  the  accu- 
mulation of  exact  and  definite  knowledge.  We  all  admit  the 
value  of  knowledge.  We  recognize  its  transcendent  impor- 
tance in  every  department  of  individual  life.  It  is  at  the 
very  foundation  of  all  our  progress.  It  determines  the  status 
of  nations  as  well  as  that  of  individuals.  Upon  it  we  build 
our  ethical  standards.  By  it  we  measure  the  value  and  the 
virtue  of  all  religions. 

So  deeply  important,  in  fact,  is  exact  and  definite  knowl- 
edge to  the  life  and  well  being  of  all  men,  that  we  are  in- 
clined to  look  with  forbearance  and  toleration  upon  whatever 
means  or  methods  men  may  employ  in  their  pursuit  of  it. 

For  instance,  we  look  with  horror  and  righteous  indigna- 
tion upon  the  wanton  cruelty  of  brutal  men  toward  innocent 
and  helpless  animals  and  birds.  But  we  pause  and  view 
with  something  akin  to  sympathetic  complacency  the  mur- 
derous act  of  the  vivisectionist  as  he  opens  the  skull  of  an 
innocent  and  helpless  dog  and  removes  its  sleeping  brain. 
Why?  Because  we  know  that  he  is  in  search  of  knowledge. 
We  see  him  close  the  opened  skull  over  the  now  vacant  brain 


WHAT  OF  THE  HYPNOTIST? 115 

cavity  and  with  cold-blooded  patience  study  the  actions  of 
his  victim  in  the  hope  of  determining  some  undiscovered 
function  of  the  brain.  We  see  him  again  and  again  subject 
the  same  helpless  animal  to  the  relentless  tyranny  of  his  will. 
We  watch  him  cut  away  section  after  section  of  its  brain, 
and  after  each  operation  watch  without  the  least  indication 
of  sympathy  or  feeling  for  some  new  development  which  may 
possibly  give  him  a  clue  to  the  mystery  of  individual  being. 
Why?  Because  we  know  that  he  is  in  search  of  knowledge. 

We  permit  him  to  carry  the  dead  bodies  of  our  fellow 
men  and  women  into  his  laboratory  and  there  cut  them  into 
a  thousand  pieces  in  order  that  he  may  study  the  most  com- 
plex and  wonderful  organism  that  Nature  has  yet  evolved. 
We  permit  him  to  override  every  sentiment  and  defy  every 
established  convention  of  society  just  because  we  know  that 
he  is  in  search  of  knowledge.  We  know  that  he  is  searching 
for  that  which  may  be  of  specific  value  to  us  and  to  all  men. 

No  matter  how  many  or  how  great  are  the  crimes  he  com- 
mits against  the  laws  of  Nature,  we  are  impelled  to  ignore 
them,  so  long  as  they  are  committed  in  the  name  of  science. 
No  matter  what  individual  suffering  or  sorrow  may  follow 
in  his  footsteps,  we  are  wont  to  condone  his  offenses  in  the 
name  of  science  and  evolution.  Whatever  may  be  the  cost  to 
individual  life,  the  work  of  the  scientist  goes  on  and  .we 
tacitly  forgive  him  for  the  desolation  and  the  havoc  he  has 
wrought,  for  the  laws  he  has  broken,  for  the  crimes  he  has 
committed,  and  for  the  wrongs  he  has  perpetrated.  Why? 
Because  we  understand  the  motive  that  inspires  him  and  we 
call  it  good. 

But  however  lenient  we  may  be,  however  ready  to  forgive 
and  forget,  there  is  yet  a  law  that  is  higher  than  the  caprices 
of  men,  a  law  which  is  above  and  beyond  their  sanctions  or 
their  confutations,  and  to  this  law  the  scientist  and  the  sci- 
olist alike  must  render  an  individual  accounting. 

The  position  of  the  scientist  before  this  higher  law,  how- 
ever, is  not  the  subject  of  present  consideration.  We  are 
now  concerned  only  with  his  ethical  or  moral  status  in  the 
sight  of  men,  and  we  find  that,  according  to  their  imperfect 


IK)       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

standards,  his  motives  and  intentions  are  unimpeachable. 
Although  he  may  practice  the  processes  of  hypnotism  upon  a 
thousand  subjects,  and  thereby  become  a  party  to  the  viola- 
tion of  a  primary  and  fundamental  law  of  individual  being, 
the  law  of  individual  responsibility,  yet  by  the  laws  and  the 
standards  of  men  he  stands  acquitted,  because  his  motives  and 
intentions  are  in  accord  with  our  ethical  ideas  and  moral  con- 
ceptions. He  is  a  hunter  for  truth  and  a  searcher  for  knowl- 
edge, and  therefore,  from  the  standpoint  of  ethics,  we  permit 
him  to  pass  unchallenged. 

As  with  the  scientist,  so  with  the  physician.  His  mission 
is  with  the  suffering.  As  we  see  him  in  his  daily  battle  with 
the  destructive  agencies  of  Nature,  and  know  that  his  heart 
is  filled  with  sympathy  for  those  who  look  to  him  for  help  in 
the  hour  of  their  extremity,  we  are  ready  to  sanction  what- 
ever means  he  may  employ  in  his  efforts  to  heal  the  sick,  re- 
lieve the  suffering,  comfort  the  sorrowing  and  stay  the  hand 
of  death.  We  know  that  whatever  agencies  he  may  employ 
his  motives  and  intentions  are  above  and  beyond  suspicion  or 
reproach  from  our  human  understanding. 

It  is  a  fact  that  to-day  some  of  our  leading  physicians 
and  surgeons  are  employing  hypnotism  and  Hypnotic-" Sug- 
gestion" to  some  extent  as  an  accompaniment  of  their  ina- 
teria  mcdica.  They  have  found  that  in  certain  cases  of  a 
neurotic  character  they  have  been  able  to  produce  temporary 
anaesthesia.  They  have  not  gone  beyond  this  simple  fact 
as  a  general  thing.  For  their  specific  and  immediate  purposes 
it  would  seem  to  be  unnecessary.  They  are  chiefly  concerned 
with  disease  in  its  purely  objective  expression  upon  the  physi- 
cal plane.  Whatever  will  produce  a  seemingly  desirable  re- 
sult is  therefore  generally  deemed  both  expedient  and  pro- 
fessionally admissible. 

Comparatively  few  physicians  have  thus  far  made  a  study 
of  hypnotism  from  its  psychological  aspect.  The  few  who 
have  clone  so  find  that  the  profession  in  general  is  not  pre- 
pared for  its  exposition  from  that  standpoint.  It  is  confi- 
dently believed,  however,  that  the  time  is  not  far  distant  when 
matcria  mcdica  and  psychology  will  be  recognized  as  con- 


WHAT  OF  THE  HYPNOTIST?  117 

comitant  factors  in  all  true  therapeutic  processes.  When 
that  time  shall  come,  whether  it  be  in  the  near  or  remote 
future,  the  medical  profession  will  become  the  most  powerful 
agency  in  existence  for  the  protection  of  society  against  the 
destructive  practice  of  all  subjective  psychic  processes. 

It  is  the  earnest  hope  of  the  School  of  Natural  Science 
that  it  may  be  able  to  so  far  interest  the  leading  representa- 
tives of  the  medical  profession  as  to  lay  before  them  in  scien- 
tific form  a  full  and  complete  exposition  of  its  own  experi- 
ments and  demonstrations  in  this  intensely  interesting  and 
important  field  of  scientific  research.  It  is  believed  that  if 
but  this  much  can  be  accomplished  it  will  undoubtedly  open 
the  way  for  an  intelligent,  sympathetic  and  purposeful  co-op- 
eration in  the  development  of  medical  science  which  cannot 
fail  of  the  most  salutary  and  beneficent  results. 

It  is  conceded  that  the  physician  who  resorts  to  hypnotism 
as  a  final  possible  agency  for  the  relief  of  suffering  humanity 
is  inspired  by  a  most  worthy  and  noble  purpose,  entirely  re- 
gardless of  the  results  accomplished.  Measuring  his  deeds, 
therefore,  not  by  their  results,  but  by  his  motives  and  inten- 
tions, all  society  is  ready  to  accord  to  him  an  ethical  status 
above  and  beyond  reproach  or  criticism. 

The  actual  results  of  the  physician's  use  of  hypnotism  in 
his  practice  are  not  under  consideration  at  this  time.  Our 
present  inquiry  is  confined  entirely  to  the  question  of  ethics, 
leaving  the  scientific  analysis  and  exposition  of  the  subject 
for  a  distinct  and  separate  study. 

It  is  now  in  order  to  briefly  consider  the  second  general 
class,  namely,  those  hypnotists  whose  motives  and  intentipns 
are  neither  good  nor  bad,  but  are  properly  classified  under 
the  head  of  "Indifferent."  In  this  general  group  may  be 
found : 

1.  The  social  entertainer. 

2.  The  practical  joker. 

3.  The  chronic  experimenter. 

The  first  of  these,  the  social  entertainer,  generally  speak- 
ing, has  in  mind  nothing  more  beneficent  and  commendable 


118       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

than  the  mere  passing  of  a  pleasant  hour,  and  nothing  more 
malevolent  than  the  gratification  of  his  own  vanity. 

The  second,  the  practical  joker,  intends  neither  good  nor 
ill,  as  a  general  rule,  but  seeks  only  to  gratify  his  sense  of 
amusement  at  the  harmless  expense  of  his  friends. 

The  third,  the  chronic  experimenter,  is  moved  almost  en- 
tirely by  the  desire  to  satisfy  his  sense  of  the  curious  and 
the  mysterious.  He  has,  in  reality,  neither  good  nor  evil  in 
his  mind,  and  thinks  little  or  nothing  of  the  results  in  so 
far  as  they  may  affect  others.  He  cares  for  neither  the  ad- 
vancement of  science  on  the  one  hand  nor  the  alleviation  of 
human  suffering  on  the  other. 

Judged,  therefore,  by  their  motives  and  intentions  alone, 
and  from  the  purely  ethical  views  of  men,  there  is  in  the 
attitude  of  these  three  classes  of  hypnotists  little  to  condemn 
and  practically  nothing  to  commend.  Their  position  is  in- 
deed one  which  may  be  fittingly  designated  as  morally  indif- 
ferent. 

Passing  to  the  third  general  class,  it  is  found  that  those 
hypnotists  whose  motives  and  intentions  are  unquestionably 
bad  naturally  group  themselves  into  three  distinct  classes,  as 
follows : 

1.  Those    who  practice    hypnotism    as    a  profession  or 
business,  and  depend  upon  such  practice  for  their  financial 
support. 

2.  Those  who  employ  it  as  a  means  of  power  whereby 
to  achieve  their  individual  ambitions  in  life  and  gratify  their 
desire  for  a  personal  popularity  before  the  world. 

3.  Those   who   use   it  as  a   subtle    means    and    method 
whereby   to  commit  unusual   crimes   in   such   manner  as  to 
avoid  detection  and  evade  the  just  penalties  of  the  law. 

In  the  first  instance  the  impelling  motive  is  money,  in  the 
second  power  and  popularity,  and  in  the  third  self-gratifica- 
tion and  conquest.  The  first,  therefore,  represents  the  grati- 
fication of  greed,  the  second  means  the  gratification  of  vanity, 
and  the  third  stands  for  the  gratification  of  the  baser  appe- 
tites, evil  passions  and  criminal  desires. 

Every  student  of  the  subject  will  be  able  to  call  to  mind 


WHAT  OF  THE  HYPNOTIST? 119 

one  or  more  fitting  representatives  of  the  first  class,  whose 
ruling  motive  is  money  and  all  that  money,  means  to  the 
sordid  and  avaricious.  Such  an  one  may,  for  a  valuable  con- 
sideration in  the  form  of  a  ticket  to  the  "show,"  be  seen 
upon  the  public  platform  with  his  subjects  ranged  about  him. 
In  the  presence  of  the  multitudes  who  have  paid  their  money 
for  the  spectator's  privileges,  he  gives  a  weird  and  revolting 
exhibition  of  all  the  varied  hypnotic  "experiments"  known  to 
the  "profession."  He  is  permitted  to  subject  the  minds  and 
mental  powers  of  children,  boys  and  girls,  and  men  and  women 
of  all  ages  and  stations  of  life,  to  his  own  hypnotic  domina- 
tion and  thus  convert  them  into  mere  automatic  machines, 
under  the  autocratic  power  and  control  of  his  will.  He  thus 
fulfils  his  part  of  the  contract  by  furnishing  the  promised 
"entertainment"  and  in  return  pockets  the  gate  receipts  and 
passes  on  to  fill  other  engagements. 

We  all  enjoy  entertainment.  The  more  mysterious  and 
uncanny  it  can  be  made  to  appear  to  most  of  us  the  better  we 
enjoy  it,  and  the  more  liberally  we  are  willing  to  pay  for  it 
To  a  large  majority  of  people  hypnotic  phenomena  are  suffi- 
ciently mysterious  and  wonderful  to  afford  unusual  interest 
and  amuseme'nt.  For  this  reason  the  average  professional 
hypnotist  finds  the  field  of  hypnotic  entertainment  a  most 
fruitful  one,  and  he  understands  the  methods  of  advertising 
necessary  to  insure  him  a  rich  harvest. 

This  type  of  intelligence  is  the  one  most  generally  seen 
at  the  heads  of  the  numerous  hypnotic  "Schools,"  "Colleges" 
and  "Institutes"  throughout  the  country.  These  shrewd  and 
enterprising  individuals  have  been  quick  to  analyze  the  com- 
mon weaknesses  of  men  and  take  advantage  of  the  credulity 
and  cupidity  of  their  natures.  They  have  made  an  exhaustive 
study  of  the  ways,  means  and  arts  by  and  through  which  the 
average  man  may  be  induced  to  part  with  his  money.  They 
have  proved  themselves  to  be  high-class  adepts  in  the  fas- 
cinating art  of  playing  upon  the  sordid  and  selfish  strings  of 
human  nature. 

As  an  evidence  of  the  unique  and  fetching  methods  em- 
ployed by  them  to  attract  the  attention  and  secure  the  patron- 


120       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

age  of  the  ignorant,  the  selfish,  the  vain,  the  ambitious,  the- 
unscrupulous,  the  conscienceless  and  the  criminal  classes  of 
society,  by  an  appeal  to  all  the  baser  elements  of  the  most 
vicious  side  of  human  nature,  the  following  quotations  bear 
eloquent  testimony.  They  are  taken  verbatim  from  books, 
pamphlets,  circulars  and  other  advertising  matter  but  re- 
cently scattered  broadcast  throughout  the  land. 

Such  advertisements  as  these  are  being  distributed  daily 
by  these  so-called  hypnotic  schools,  colleges  and  institutes, 
and  by  hundreds  of  individual  hypnotists  in  almost  every 
leading  city  in  the  United  States,  and  many  such  even  come 
to  us  from  European  countries.  Read  them  carefully  and 
analyze  the  motives  which  inspire  them.  Study  the  character 
of  the  Muse  which  could  inspire  the  declarations  and  prom- 
ises they  contain,  and  then  prophesy  the  moral  character  of 
the  men  who  inspire  them  and  the  men  and  women  who  most 
readily  respond  to  them: 

QUOTATION  i. 

"Of  the  large  number  of  students  who  order  my  Course  of  Les- 
sons in  Hypnotism  I  found  that  very  many  had  a  sensible  and  practical 
end  in  view..  They  wanted  to  make  money.  Instead  of  dabbling  in 
hypnotism  for  mere  pastime,  it  was  their  wise  resolve  to  make  hyp- 
notism pay,  and  this  by  the  very  speedy  and  excellent  plan  of  launch- 
ing out  as  hypnotic  entertainers.  ...  I  have  treated  the  subject 
as  one  would  any  other  money-making  enterprise.  .  .  .  The  more 
hypnotists  there  are  earning  fame  and  independence,  the  more  people 
there  are  who  will  want  to  buy  my  instructions.  ...  In  other 

words,    IT    PAYS    ME." 

What  could  better  illustrate  the  spirit  of  reckless  de- 
pravity than  the  cold-blooded  manner  in  which  this  advertiser 
offers,  for  the  sum  of  five  dollars,  to  put  into  the  hands  of 
anyone  who  applies  a  course  of  "Lessons"  which  will  enable 
him  to  exercise  upon  and  over  his  fellow  men  a  power  of 
whose  actual  results  the  purchaser  is  entirely  ignorant? 

This  certainly  represents  the  spirit  of  commercialism  gone 
mad.  Moral  considerations  do  not  enter  into  the  proposition 
at  any  point.  It  is  a  mere  matter  of  money — nothing  more, 
nothing  less. 

QUOTATION  2. 

"I  fully  explain  my  celebrated  instantaneous  method,  by  which  you 
can  hypnotize  as  quick  as  a  flash. 


WHAT  OF  THE  HYPNOTIST? 121 

"I  tell  you  how  to  bring  your  subjects  completely  underjrour  con- 

,  \ 

"I  tell  you  how  to  compel  them  to  obey  your  slightest  wish. 

"I  teach  you  how  to  fasten  the  eyes,  hands  and  feet  of  a  subject  at 
the  word  of  command. 

"I  teach  you  how  your  subject's  will  may  be  brought  in  direct 
subjection  to  your  own. 

"I  tell  you  how  his  will  may  be  placed  in  abeyance,  and  how  his 
mental  operations  may  be  directed  by  you. 

"I  tell  you  how  to  control  your  subjects  without  speaking  to  them. 

"I  expose  the  vanity  of  persons  who  maintain  that  they  cannot  be 
hypnotized. 

"I  show  you  how  the  subject  obeys  the  hypnotist  as  a  locomotive 
does  the  manipulations  of  the  driver. 

"I  tell  you  how  to  direct  your  subject's  thoughts  into  any  channel 
desired,  and  how  to  compel  him  to  execute  any  command. 

"I  tell  you  how  to  hypnotize  at  a  distance. 

"I  tell  you  how  you  can  compel  a  person  to  be  at  a  certain  place  at 
a  specified  time. 

"I  tell  you  how  to  give  your  subjects  commands  and  suggestions 
that  they  will  be  obliged  to  carry  out  months  and  even  years  after  the 
command  has  been  given. 

"I  tell  you  how  to  control  your  subjects  instantly. 

"I  tell  you  how  it  is  possible  to  hypnotize  a  person  who  is  in  a 
natural  sleep,  who  will  waken  the  next  morning  without  knowing  that 
he  has  been  hypnotized,  and  will  be  compelled  to  carry  out  any  com- 
mand that  has  been  given  him  while  in  the  trance. 

"I  tell  you  how  to  walk  up  to  a  person  anywhere  and  hypnotize  him 
instantly  by  a  simple  wave  of  the  hand  or  a  glance  of  the  eye. 

"I  explain  to  you  how  a  hypnotist  feels  when  he  begins  to  taste 
the  sweets  of  power. 

"I  teach  you  how  to  Pjpglyze  a  subject  as  instantly  and  completely 
as  a  knockout  blow. 

"I  give  you  special  hints  for  impressing  the  public  with  your  won- 
derful and  mysterious  powers. 

"I  tell  you  how  hypnotism  can  be  used  in  ordinary  business  tran- 
sactions to  the  great  advantage  of  the  operator. 

"I  give  you  information  that  will  prevent  other  people  from  hyp- 
notizing you.  This  secret  is  priceless  and  should  be  understood  by  all 
hypnotists." 

In  conclusion,  this  remarkable  genius  reminds  the  credu- 
lous public  that  his  "Lessons  in  Hypnotism"  are  the  only 
benefits  for  which  he  makes  any  charge.  For  the  altogether 
insignificant  sum  of  $5  any  person  who  may  choose  to  apply — 
provided  he  accompanies  his  application  with  the  necessary 
$5 — will  receive  "by  return  mail"  the  "Lessons,"  together 
with  an  "Elaborate  Diploma  "  (in  advance),  fifty  "Profes- 


122       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

sional  Cards"  free  of  cost,  and  a  few  other  articles  of  mer- 
chandise supposed  to  be  of  enormous  value. 

To  obtain  a  clear  understanding  of  the  true  significance  of 
all  this,  it  becomes  necessary  to  study  the  motives  and  pur- 
poses back  of  it,  and  the  passions,  impulses  and  desires  of 
human  nature  to  which  he  appeals.  With  that  end  in  view 
the  following  suggestions  are  of  special  importance  and 
should  be  kept  constantly  in  mind : 

i.  The  advertisement  itself  is  a  work  of  art.  It  is  ac- 
companied by  some  fifty  or  more  artistic  cuts  and  designs, 
showing  the  hypnotist  and  his  subjects  in  various  postures,  all 
of  which  exhibit  the  hypnotist  as  the  imperious  master  and 
his  subjects  as  the  helpless,  automatic  instruments  of  his  will. 

2..  This  most  interesting  and  attractive  advertisement  is 
distributed  through  the  United  States  Mails  to  all  parts  of 
the  country  and  to  all  classes  of  society  without  regard  to 
age,  sex  or  other  condition. 

3.  No  precautions  of  any  kind  whatever  are  taken  by  the 
advertiser,  nor  by   the  United   States  Postal   authorities,   to 
prevent  this  literature  from  going  directly  into  the  hands  of 
the  most  vicious  and  criminal  classes  of  society. 

4.  A  careful  study  and  analysis  of  the  foregoing  quota- 
tions will  entirely  convince  any  intelligent  student  that  their 
author  has  made  a  deliberate  and  most  powerful  appeal  to  all 
that  is  avaricious,  base,  ignoble,  vicious,  unprincipled,  vile, 
immoral,  unconscionable,  infamous  and  criminal  in  depraved 
human   nature. 

5.  Not  a  single  virtuous  impulse,  moral  sentiment,  noble 
purpose  nor  worthy  motive  is  invoked  or  inspired. 

6.  The  self-confessed  motive  in  the  mind  of  the  hypno- 
tist is  money.    He  makes  of  his  supposed  knowledge  a  matter 
of  merchandise.     He  offers  it  for  sale  to  whomsoever  he  can 
induce  to  pay  the  price.     It  matters  not  to  him  what  use  may 
be  made  of  the  power  he  offers  to  confer  upon  those  who 
yield  to  his  solicitations.     For  the  sum  of  $5  he  guarantees 
to  invest  every  purchaser  of  his  "Lessons"  with  the  power  to 
conquer  the  will  and  enslave  the  souls  of  men,  women  and 
children,  and  suggests  to  him  that  he  may  then  gratify  his 


WHAT  OF  THE  HYPNOTIST? 123 

baser   appetites,  passions,   desires  and   purposes  without  the 
possibility  of  interference  or  opposition. 

He  promises  to  tell  his  prospective  "students"  how  to 
use  hypnotism  in  ordinary  business  transactions  "to  the  great 
advantage  of  the  operator."  Properly  translated,  this  means 
that  for  the  small  sum  of  $5  this  self-exalted  adept  in  the 
mystery  of  Black  Magic  will  invest  anyone  who  applies  with 
the  power  to  hypnotize  a  business  man  and  take  a  deliberate 
and  mean  advantage  of  him  in  a  business  way,  or  even  pick 
his  pockets  without  opposition  or  likelihood  of  discovery. 

A  perfectly  fair  and  reasonable  interpretation  of  the  great 
offer  this  malefactor  of  the  human  race  places  before  an 
innocent  and  unsuspecting  public,  by  aid  of  the  government 
postal  service,  is  as  follows: 

"For  the  sum  of  five  good  and  lawful  dollars,  whenever  the  same 
shall  be  received  by  me,  I  hereby  covenant  and  agree  with  the  party 
of  the  second  part,  whoever  he  may  be,  and  entirely  regardless  of 
his  motives,  purposes,  personal  reputation  or  moral  character,  that  I 
will  invest  him  with  a  power  which  will  enable  him : 

"i.  To  exercise  absolute  control  over  the  will  and  voluntary  pow- 
ers of  his  fellow-men  without  their  power  of  resistance. 

"2.  To  overcome  the  rational  intelligence  of  business  men  and  de- 
prive them  of  their  money  and  their  property  without  due  process  of 
law,  but  in  such  manner  as  to  overcome  all  opposition  and  defy  the 
powers  of  the  most  experienced  detectives. 

"3.  To  so  influence  a  court  and  jury  as  to  obtain  from  them  any 
verdict  he  may  desire,  the  law  and  the  evidence  to  the  contrary  not- 
withstanding. 

"4.  To  obtain  swift  and  terrible  revenge  upon  his  enemies,  by  the 
aid  of  hypnotized  subjects,  who  are  obliged  to  carry  out  his  every 
command,  even  to  the  commission  of  murder,  and  who  will  even 
suffer  the  extreme  penalties  of  the  law  without  ever  disclosing  the  real 
culprit. 

"5.  To  fascinate  innocent  girls  and  virtuous  women  and  lead  them 
into  paths  of  wickedness  and  shame. 

"6.  To  debauch  little  children  without  likelihood  of  discovery  by 
their  unsuspecting  parents. 

"7.  To  gratify  every  carnal  appetite,  passion  and  desire  whenever 
and  with  whomsoever  he  wills,  and  inspire  the  commission  of  every 
crime  known  to  the  laws  of  God  or  men,  but  in  such  manner  as  to 
entirely  disarm  suspicion,  or  fasten  the  guilt  upon  his  helpless  sub- 
jects." 

All  this  and  as  much  more  as  the  mind  can  imagine  is 
clearly  and  forcibly  suggested  by  the  inducements  held  out 


124      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

through  this  and  other  equally  vicious  advertisements  to  pros- 
pective students  and  would-be  hypnotists. 

With  these  simple  facts  in  evidence  the  ethical  quality  of 
the  hypnotist's  motives  and  intentions  becomes  clearly  ap- 
parent. His  purposes  are  vicious,  his  intentions  are  dishon- 
est, his  motives  are  immoral  and  his  actions,  which  fully  con- 
form thereto,  are  inimical  to  the  rights,  duties,  privileges, 
obligations,  responsibilities,  and  best  interests  of  society  in 
general  and  each  and  every  individual  in  particular. 

All  this,  and  even  more,  is  fully  confessed  by  the  last 
paragraph  of  the  advertisement  above  quoted.  For,  this  ad- 
vertiser says,  "I  give  you  information  that  will  prevent  other 
people  from  hypnotizing  you.  This  secret  is  priceless  and 
should  be  understood  by  all  hypnotists." 

By  this  one  sentence  alone  the  dishonesty  and  criminality 
of  the  scheme  stand  revealed  in  all  their  hideous  proportions. 
Note  the  declaration  that  "this  secret  is  priceless  and  should 
be  understood  by  all  hypnotists."  What  secret?  The  secret 
"that  will  prevent  other  people  from  hypnotizing  you."  But 
why  is  it  so  vitally  important  to  be  able  to  "prevent  other 
people  from  hypnotizing  you"?  If  hypnotism  is  the  inno- 
cent, harmless  and  beneficent  process  claimed,  why  is  it  of 
such  vital  importance  that  it  should  not  be  used  on  hypnotists 
themselves?  Why  is  it  that  the  one  "priceless  secret"  out  of 
the  many  he  offers  for  sale  is  that  which  enables  the  hypnotist 
to  "prevent  other  people  from  hypnotizing  you"? 

He  wisely  refrains  from  taking  the  public  into  his  confi- 
dence on  this  important  point,  but  this  is  not  because  he  is 
ignorant  of  the  answer.  He  knows  full  well  the  vital  prin- 
ciple involved.  He  knows  it  just  as  every  honest  and  intelli- 
gent student  must  know  it  when  he  has  analyzed  the  subject 
in  the  light  of  the  indisputable  facts  of  science  and  of  human 
experience.  He  knows  that  it  is  because  the  one  "priceless" 
possession  of  every  honest  and  intelligent  soul  is  the  power 
of  self-control,  and  the  inalienable  right  of  self-conscious- 
ness at  all  times  and  under  all  conditions  except  such  as 
Nature  herself  has  prescribed. 


WHAT  OF  THE  HYPNOTIST? 125 

He  frankly  confesses  to  his  prospective  students  that  the 
power  of  self-control  is  the  one  power  above  all  others  most 
valuable  and  important  to  the  individual.  And  yet,  upon  the 
same  page  he  guarantees  to  instruct  his  students  in  the  art 
of  grand  larceny  until  they  shall  be  able  to  successfully  steal 
this  one  "priceless"  possession  from  their  fellow  men,  women 
and  children  wherever  they  go. 

Perhaps  the  most  astounding  feature  of  all  this  is  the  fact 
that  the  hypnotist  accompanies  his  offer  with  the  autographic 
recommendation  and  enthusiastic  approval  of  reputable  physi- 
cians, surgeons,  lawyers,  bankers,  politicians  and  business  and 
professional  men  of  education  whose  acuteness  of  intelligence 
would  readily  detect  dishonesty  and  fraud  in  any  other  pro- 
fession or  line  of  business,  and  who  would  not  intentionally 
become  parties  to  deliberate  crime. 

There  is  but  one  natural  inference,  namely,  that  this  man 
of  mystery  and  mighty  powers  has  gone  about  and  hypnotized 
these  good  people,  "with  a  wave  of  the  hand  or  a  glance  of 
the  eye,"  got  their  signatures  while  they  were  under  the 
spell  of  his  mysterious  power,  and  then  permitted  them  to 
awaken  in  blissful  ignorance  of  the  fact  that  their  names 
are  now  being  used  as  a  means  of  defrauding  other  equally 
innocent  people  all  over  the  country. 

The  further  interesting  fact  that  the  United  States  Gov- 
ernment has  assisted  him  in  the  advertisement  of  his  nefa- 
rious business  might  very  reasonably  support  the  theory  that 
even  the  government  of  a  great  nation  is  not  exempt  from 
the  hypnotic  possibilities  of  this  "Wild  and  Woolly  Wizard 
of  the  West."  For,  it  is  generally  understood  that  the  U.  S. 
Postal  authorities  intend  to  exclude  from  the  U.  S.  Mails 
all  fraudulent  and  immoral  literature,  and  severely  punish  all 
those  who  violate  its  laws,  rules  and  regulations  in  relation 
thereto. 

But  this  particular  man  of  mysteries  and  money  is  not 
alone  in  his  profession.  Indeed,  he  represents  but  a  type  of 
the  professional  hypnotist  whose  motives  and  inspiration  are 
money  and  the  luxuries  money  can  buy.  The  writer  has 


126       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

before  him  the  literature'  and  advertising  matter  of  so-called 
schools,  institutes  and  colleges  of  hypnotism  from  all  parts  of 
the  country.  Similar  advertisements  may  be  found  in  the 
leading  newspapers  and  periodicals  of  all  the  principal  cities 
throughout  the  United  States. 

Most  of  these  offer  to  instruct  their  students  by  cor- 
respondence. Their  instructions  consist,  for  the  most  part, 
of  a  series  of  "Lessons  by  Mail,"  for  which  the  regular  fee 
in  every  instance  must  be  paid  in  advance.  The  prices  for 
these  various  courses  of  lessons  range  all  the  way  from 
$5  to  $100.  Their  promises  and  guaranties  are  in  substance 
the  same,  and  tneir  "Lessons"  cover  practically  the  same  sub- 
ject matter.  The  only  material  difference  is  in  the  prices 
charged. 

Some  of  these  institutions  are  incorporated  under  state 
laws,  and  for  this  reason  command  a  confidence  which  this 
implied  sanction  of  the  state  carries  with  it.  But  their  under 
lying  motives  and  purposes  are  identical  with  those  of  the 
professional  hypnotist  everywhere.  That  is  to  say,  they  are 
in  the  business  for  money  and  money  alone.  The  character 
of  their  advertisements,  assertions,  guaranties  and  promises 
betrays  an  utter  absence  of  moral  considerations  of  every  kind 
whatsoever. 

Of  the  three  classes  of  hypnotists  whose  motives  and  in- 
tentions are  bad,  consideration  has  thus  far  been  confined  to 
the  first,  namely,  the  professional  hypnotist  who  makes  of  his 
profession  and  practice  a  mere  matter  of  merchandise.  The 
two  remaining  classes  include: 

1.  The  vainly  and  unscrupulously  ambitious. 

2.  The  criminal. 

These  require  but  a  passing  notice,  inasmuch  as  they  are 
but  a  natural  outgrowth  and  logical  result  of  the  first.  Moved 
only  by  the  base  and  evil  passions  of  human  nature,  they 
naturally  seek  the  shortest,  safest  and  surest  road  which  will 
lead  them  to  the  accomplishment  of  their  wicked  and  shame- 
less desires. 

These  are  they  who  are  naturally  the  first  to  respond  to 


WHAT  OF  THE  HYPNOTIST? 127 

the  alluring  promises  and  tempting  guaranties  contained  in 
such  advertisements  as  are  daily  flashed  before  their  depraved 
imaginations  by  professional  hypnotists  of  the  first  class  above 
designated.  They  find  it  consistent  with  their  nefarious  pur- 
poses to  obtain  their  knowledge  of  hypnotism  in  the  least 
conspicuous  manner  possible.  For,  unlike  the  first  class, 
their  success  in  the  field  of  hypnotism  and  hypnotic  practice 
is  commensurate  with  their  ability  to  conceal  their  knowledge 
and  practice  of  it  from  public  view.  Like  their  fitting  com- 
panions in  crime — the  thief,  the  burglar,  the  ravisher  and 
the  murderer — they  work  under  cover  of  darkness  as  far  as 
possible.  Hence  it  is  that  they  almost  entirely  escape  public 
attention  and  are  thus  enabled  to  exercise  the  subtle  and  ir- 
resistible power  of  Black  Magic  without  even  so  much  as 
a  fear  of  detection. 

This  is  not  a  mere  fancy  picture  nor  an  idle  dream.  It  is 
a  deplorable  fact.  Not  only  this,  it  is  a  fact  which  is  slowly 
but  surely  forcing  itself  upon  the  attention  of  the  thoughtful 
and  intelligent  students  of  psychology,  and  will  find  ample 
verification  just  as  soon  as  the  public  conscience  is  fully 
awakened  and  adequate  methods  are  adopted  for  its  public 
demonstration  and  exposition. 

A  vital  problem  with  which  society  must  sooner  or  later 
deal  in  this  connection  is  that  of  locating  responsibility  for 
the  endless  chain  of  destructive  results  which  are  here  but 
dimly  and  imperfectly  suggested. 

In  the  solution  of  this  problem  one  important  fact  must 
not  be  overlooked  nor  omitted.  This  fact  is  fundamental, 
namely,  that  it  is  the  professional  hypnotist,  moved  by  the 
unscrupulous  desire  for  money,  who  has  inspired  all  these 
various  classes  of  individuals  with  the  desire  for  hypnotic 
power.  Through  the  medium  of  his  artful  advertisements  he 
has  played  upon  every  vicious  passion,  propensity  and  desire 
of  human  nature  in  the  hope  of  touching  in  each  individual 
the  mystic  chord  of  sympathy  that  will  open  to  him  a  ple- 
thoric purse. 

It  is  here  that  the  initial  evil  will  be  found.     All  others 


128       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

grow  out  of  it  as  naturally  as  vibratory  activity  is  related 
to  the  law  of  motion  and  number.  It  is  here  then  that  the 
principle  of  retributive  justice — which  is  but  a  limited  appli- 
cation of  the  great  universal  law  of  compensation — fixes  the 
primary  responsibility  for  the  evil  consequences  of  hypnotism 
and  hypnotic  practices. 


OK  Great  pspcbological  Crime 


Part  TT 


Spiritual  Mediumship 


CHAPTER    I. 

A  RISK  AND  A  DUTY. 

The  writer  approaches  this  branch  of  his  subject  with  a 
due  appreciation  of  the  unusual,  extraordinary  and  "extra 
scientific"  nature  of  the  facts  he  is  called  upon  to  record. 

No  man  who  has  been  carefully  grounded  in  the  facts  and 
methods  of  physical  science  and  for  many  years  schooled  in 
the  principles  of  law  and  the  rules  of  evidence,  is  eager  to 
invoke  or  invite  for  himself  a  reputation  for  charlatanry, 
empiricism,  falsehood  or  insanity.  And  yet,  this  is  the  risk 
every  man  must  assume  who  approaches  the  world  with  a 
work  of  any  kind  which  transcends  the  generally  accepted 
scientific  dogmas  of  his  time. 

It  would  seem  to  be  clear,  therefore,  that  no  man — however 
unusual  may  have  been  his  instruction,  study,  personal  experi- 
ences and  demonstrations — would  voluntarily  enter  upon  so 
difficult  and  unpropitious  an  undertaking  unless  he  were  fully 
persuaded  that  the  knowledge  he  has  acquired  is  of  greater 
value  to  the  world  than  his  own  personal  reputation.  Even 
then  he  might  well  hesitate  lest  the  world  be  unprepared  to 
receive  the  knowledge  for  the  presentation  of  which  he  has 
made  the  sacrifice. 

129 


130      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

Indeed,  if  the  following  statement  of  facts  were  going  be- 
fore a  convocation  of  physical  scientists  of  the  present  conven- 
tional type  for  final  and  irrevocable  judgment,  it  is  doubtful 
if  it  would  be  either  prepared  or  submitted  during  the  present 
generation.  To  do  so  would  certainly  be  a  useless  mistake. 
For,  upon  the  intelligence  of  such  a  body  of  men,  recognizing 
as  scientific  nothing  which  transcends  the  purely  physical  in 
Nature,  it  could  produce  at  the  present  time  but  one  result. 
This  could  afford,  little  comfort  or  satisfaction  to  the  writer 
and  even  less  to  the  thousands  of  honest,  sane  and  intelligent 
men  and  women  all  over  the  world  who  would  thereby  stand 
condemned. 

Fortunately,  however,  for  the  cause  of  truth,  there  have 
come  to  be  in  this  day  and  generation  many  besides  the  writer 
who  know  f/om  their  own  personal  experiences  that  some,  at 
least,  of  the  statements  of  fact  hereinafter  made  are  true. 
Indeed,  some  of  these  facts  have  been  personally  demon- 
strated by  intelligent  and  honest  men  and  women  everywhere. 
Others  have  been  demonstrated  by  only  the  few,  but  their 
demonstrations  are  none  the  less  absolute  and  conclusive. 

Of  the  many  who  are  today  able  to  demonstrate  some  one 
or  more  of  the  facts  hereinafter  stated,  very  few  have  deemed 
it  expedient  or  wise  to  take  the  world  at  large  into  their  con- 
fidence. Others  who  are  inclined  to  be  more  independent  of 
the  judgments  and  prejudices  of  their  fellow-men  have  learned 
from  a  bitter  experience  that  their  reputations  for  honesty, 
as  well  as  sanity,  depend  upon  their  ability  and  inclination  to 
conceal  the  facts  from  their  neighbors,  their  nearest  friends, 
and  oftentimes  from  members  of  their  own  families. 

Others  who  have  been  strongly  moved  by  the  altruistic 
spirit  have  defied  the  established  scientific  and  religious  dog- 
mas of  the  time  and  have- endeavored  to  give  to  the  world  the 
benefit  of  their  personal  experiences  and  demonstrations.  As  a 
penalty  for  their  indiscretion  they  have  been  rudely  wakened 
from  their  altruistic  dreams  to  find  themselves  carefully  labeled 
and  catalogued  under  the  general  heading  of  "Cranks." 

To  all  these,  as  well  as  to  many  other  honest  and  intelli- 
gent men  and  women  who  have  learned  the  folly  of  fixing 


A  RISK  AND  A  DUTY 131 

arbitrary  limits  for  the  possibilities  of  human  knowledge  and 
achievement,  it  may  be  an  inspiration  of  strength  and  possi- 
ble comfort  to  see  in  cold  type  an  unequivocal  statement  of 
such  facts  as  Natural  Science  has  demonstrated  with  abso- 
lute certainty  concerning  the  great  problem  of  individual  life 
and  individual  destiny. 

The  following  pages  are  devoted  to  a  presentation  of  such 
of  these  facts  as  are  pertinent  to  the  general  subject  under 
consideration. 

Fully  recognizing  in  the  undertaking  both  a  risk  and  a 
duty,  the  writer  has  elected  to  assume  the  risk  and,  to  the 
best  of  his  ability,  discharge  the  duty  which  his  knowledge 
imposes  upon  him. 


132       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 
CHAPTER  II. 

OTHER  DEFINITIONS. 

Perhaps  there  is  no  task  more  difficult  for  the  conscientious 
scientist  to  perform  than  that  of  accurate  publication. 

Some  one  has  said  that:  "Speech  is  but  broken  light  upon 
the  depths  of  the  unspoken."  It  is  believed  that  nowhere  is 
the  truth  of  this  saying  more  vividly  apparent  than  in  the 
scientific  literature  of  the  age. 

When  the  scientist  discovers  a  fact  or  a  principle  of  Nature 
which  is  new  to  him  he  usually  experiences  little  difficulty  in 
properly  classifying  it  and  so  fixing  it  in  mind  as  to  be  able  to 
identify -it  with  facility  and  certainty  thereafter.  But  when 
he  takes  upon  himself  the  labor  of  giving  it  to  the  world  he 
often  finds  that  the  language  with  which  the  great  unscien- 
tific world  is  acquainted  does  not  contain  a  single  term  in  which 
it  can  be  accurately  expressed.  He  is  then  put  to  the  difficult 
and  intricate  task  of  studying  words  and  combinations  of 
words  and  often,  as  a  last  resort,  coining  new  words,  until 
he  discovers  or  formulates  some  new  term  or  combination  that 
will  convey  his  meaning  with  all  its  proper  colors  and  shad- 
ings. 

But  this  coloring  and  shading  process  is  the  work  of  the 
artist,  and  it  would  appear  that  scientists,  as  a  general  rule, 
are  indifferent  artists.  In  no  department  of  scientific  labor 
does  this  fact  appear  with  greater  conspicuity  than  it  does  in 
the  literature  of  psychical  research. 

The  very  nature  of  the  subject,  and  the  almost  unlimited 
field  it  covers,  call  for  the  most  delicate  and  subtle  distinc- 
tions and  differentiations.  This  demands  a  terminology 
which  is  not  only  free  from  all  ambiguity,  but  one  which 
cannot,  by  the  most  clever  devices  of  resourceful  and  unprin- 
cipled intelligence,  be  tortured  and  twisted  into  meanings  at 
variance  with  the  intentions  of  the  writer. 

If  the  language  and  literature  of  Hypnotism  are  defective 
in  this  respect,  even  more  fatally  so  are  the  language  and  lit- 
erature of  modern  Spiritualism  in  general  and  of  "Medium- 


OTHER  DEFINITIONS 133 

ship"  in  particular.  These  subjects  have  been  publicly  ex- 
pounded by  men  and  women  in  all  the  varied  walks  of  life. 
The  learned  and  the  ignorant,  the  honest  and  the  dishonest, 
the  true  and  the  false,  the  wise  and  the  foolish,  have  all  given 
their  contributions  to  the  world  for  what  they  are  worth. 
They  have  written  from  every  conceivable  standpoint.  Their 
writings  are  inspired  by  almost  every  imaginable  motive.  It  is 
not  strange,  therefore,  that  contradiction  and  confusion  con- 
stitute the  most  prolific  result  of  the  vast  and  almost  unlimited 
energy  thus  expended. 

Among  those  whose  motives  are  above  suspicion  the  chief 
difficulty  appears  to  be  due  to  a  lack  of  uniformity  in  the 
terminology  employed.  For  instance — one  writer  seems  to 
regard  a  "Spiritualist"  as  something  wholly  different  from  a 
"Spiritist,"  and  then  forthwith  proceeds  to  use  the  terms 
synonymously.  In  like  manner,  he  seems  to  see  a  vital  dif- 
ference between  "Spiritualism"  and  "Spiritism,"  and  almost 
before  he  has  finished  expounding  the  difference  he  is  em- 
ploying the  terms  interchangeably. 

One  writer  defines  a  "Spiritualist"  to  be,  "Anyone  who  be~ 
lieves  in  a  life  after  physical  death."  It  is  plain  to  be  seen 
that  this  would  include  the  Methodist,  the  Presbyterian,  the 
Catholic  and  all  Christians,  as  well  as  nearly  all  mankind,  in 
fact,  for  there  is  not  a  religious  sect  of  any  kind  but  believes 
in  a  life  after  physical  death.  It  is  therefore  manifestly  ap- 
parent that  such  a  definition  is  entirely  too  broad  and  com- 
prehensive. 

Another  defines  the  "Spiritualist"  to  be  "One  who  believes 
that  there  is  not  only  a  life  after  physical  death,  but  that  it 
is  possible  for  those  in  the  physical  body  to  communicate  with 
those  in  the  spiritual  life."  But  there  are  a  number  of  relig- 
ious sects  that  believe  all  this.  It  is  therefore  clear  that  the 
definition  is  ambiguous. 

To  avoid  this  sort  of  embarrassment  and  difficulty  in  the 
present  instance,  as  far  as  may  be  possible,  the  following  ad- 
ditional definitions  are  here  presented  as  a  substantial  basis 
from  which  to  examine  the  subject  of  "Spiritual  Medium- 
ship"  according  to  the  plan  and  purpose  of  this  work.  It  is 


134       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

suggested  that  a  careful  study  of  their  specific  limitations 
will  serve  to  avoid  all  cause  for  misunderstanding  or  uncer- 
tainty as  to  the  particular  sense  in  which  the  following  terms 
are  hereinafter  employed : 

CONTROL:  A  spiritually  embodied  person  who  voluntarily 
controls  the  will,  voluntary  powers  and  sensory  organism  of 
a  person  in  the  physical  body. 

Special  attention  is  called  to  the  distinction  here  made 
between  a  control  and  a  hypnotist.  The  hypnotist  is  in  the 
physical  body  while  the  control  is  in  the  spiritual  only.  The 
one  is  a  human  being  while  the  other  is  a  spiritual  intelligence. 
The  hypnotist  operates  from  the  plane  of  the  earth  while  the 
control  operates  from  the  spiritual  plane.  The  hypnotist  is 
a  physically  embodied  person  while  the  control  is  a  physically 
disembodied  person.  The  hypnotist  is  a  human  being  while 
the  control  is  an  ex-human  being. 

MEDIUM  :  A  physically  embodied  person  whose  will,  vol- 
untary powers  and  sensory  organism  are  subject  to  the  will 
or  domination  of  a  spiritual  control. 

It  will  also  be  observed  that  the  distinctive  difference  be- 
tween a  medium  and  a  hypnotic  subject  lies  in  the  fact  that 
the  medium  is  under  the  control  of  a  spiritual  intelligence, 
while  the  subject  is  under  the  control  of  a  physically  em- 
bodied intelligence. 

MEDIUMSHIP:  The  process  by  and  through  which  a  spir- 
itual control  obtains,  holds  and  exercises  control  of  the  will, 
voluntary  powers  and  sensory  organism  of  a  medium.  Also 
the  relation  which  exists  between  the  two  intelligences  during 
the  mediumistic  process. 

SPIRITUALIST:  One  who  accepts  mediumship  as  a  legiti- 
mate and  proper  method  and  process  by  and  through  which 
to  obtain  communications  between  those  in  the  spiritual  life 
and  those  in  the  physical. 

SPIRITUALISM  :  That  particular  school,  cult,  religion, 
philosophy  or  metaphysical  system  which  is  founded  upon  its 
acceptance  of  mediumship  as  a  legitimate  and  proper  method 
and  process  by  and  through  which  to  establish  and  maintain 


OTHER  DEFINITIONS 135 

personal  communication  between  those  in  the  spiritual  life 
and  those  in  the  physical. 

Special  attention  is  called  to  the  sharply  defined  limitations 
of  the  last  two  definitions.  It  will  be  observed  that  they  pur- 
posely exclude  all  those  who  do  not  accept,  believe  in,  and 
sanction  the  process  and  the  practice  of  mediumship. 

There  are,  indeed,  coming  to  be  a  good  many  intelligent 
investigators  of  psychic  phenomena  who  do  not  in  the  least 
question  the  fact  of  spirit  communication  through  medium- 
istic  processes,  but  who  thoroughly  disapprove  and  even  con- 
demn the  method  or  process  by  which  these  communications 
are  obtained.  In  other  words,  while  they  admit  that  medium- 
ship  is  a  fact,  they  do  not  approve  of  it  as  a  method  or  prac- 
tice. 

Such   as    these    are   not    here   classed    as    "Spiritualists." 

Neither  is  any  philosophy,  science  or  religion  which  con- 
demns mediumship  called  ''Spiritualism." 

It  is  of  the  utmost  importance  to  fix  these  distinctions  in 
mind  before  passing  to  the. consideration  of  the  general  sub- 
ject of  Spiritual  Mediumship. 

SPIRITUAL  ORGANISM  :  The  spiritual  body  of  an  indi- 
vidual, with  all  its  various  organs  and  organic  parts,  by  and 
through  which  the  intelligent  soul  manifests  itself  upon  the 
spiritual  planes  of  life. 

THE  SOUL:  The  intelligent  ego,  entity,  or  essential  being 
which  inhabits  and  operates  both  the  physical  body  and  the 
spiritual  body,  and  manifests  itself  through  them. 

It  is  well  understood  that  from  a  theosophical  as  well  as 
from  a  theological  standpoint  this  definition  of  the  soul  is 
open  to  criticism.  No  attempt  will  be  made  to  defend  it 
against  objections  from  either  of  these  quarters,  other  than  to 
state  the  simple  fact  that  neither  theosophy  nor  theology  could 
reasonably  be  asked  or  expected  to  assume  any  responsibility 
whatever  for  the  manner  in  which  the  term  is  employed  in 
this  work. 

In  truth,  these  definitions,  like  those  contained  in  Part  I, 
of  this  volume,  have  been  formulated  without  special  reference 
to  any  acknowledged  exoteric  authority.  So  far  as  the  gen- 


136      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

eral  public  is  concerned,  therefore,  the  writer  desires  to  assume 
all  responsibility  for  their  present  promulgation. 

It  would  seem  quite  possible  and  even  probable  that  there 
may  be  learned  critics  who  would  be  inclined  to  challenge 
the  accuracy  of  some  or  perhaps  all  of  these  definitions.  If 
so,  it  is  their  privilege  to  formulate  others  which  will  better 
express  their  own  preconceived  ideas  whenever  they  shall 
feel  an  irresistible  impulse  to  take  the  public  into  their  con- 
fidence. 

All  that  is  claimed  for  these  definitions,  at  this  time,  is 
the  simple  fact  that  they  are  in  strict  conformity  with  the 
knowledge  thus  far  acquired  by  the  writer  and  his  colaborers 
in  the  School  of  Natural  Science  concerning  the  subjects  cov- 
ered by  them,  and  that  wherever  the  terms  so  defined  appear 
in  this  work  and  in  subsequent  works  of  this  Series,  they  are 
to  be  strictly  interpreted  as  here  indicated. 


SIGNIFICANT  ADMISSIONS 137 

CHAPTER  III. 

SIGNIFICANT  ADMISSIONS. 

Physical  science,  broadly  speaking,  is  inclined  to  challenge 
the  claims  of  Spiritualism.  The  substantial  basis  of  this 
challenge  is,  that  the  evidence  produced  by  the  spiritualist 
does  not  amount  to  scientific  demonstration.  Volumes  have 
been  written  of  a  controversial  nature  upon  this  subject,  both 
pro  and  con,  but  the  case  is  still  pending  in  the  moot  court. 

A  few  eminent  specialists  such  as  Alfred  Russell  Wallace, 
Sir  William  Crookes,  Dr.  Hare,  Professor  Hodges  and  others, 
are  notable  dissenters  from  the  ranks  of  physical  science. 
These  eminent  scientific  gentlemen  concede  that  at  least  two 
of  the  most  important  claims  of  Spiritualism  have  been  scien- 
tifically established,  viz. : 

1.  That  there  is  a  life  after  physical  death. 

2.  That  through  the  process  generally  known  and  desig- 
nated as  Spiritual  Mediumship,  definite  lines  of  communica- 
tion have  been  established  between  those  yet  in  the  physical 
body  and  those  who  have  passed  the  crisis  known  as  physical 
death. 

Those  who  have  followed  the  controversy  to  any  consid- 
erable length  are  doubtless  already  painfully  aware  of  the 
fact  that  it  opens  to  the  disputants  an  almost  limitless  field 
of  polemics.  While  the  perspective  thus  afforded  is  eminent- 
ly pleasing  to  the  controversialist,  it  is  equally  unsatisfactory 
to  the  general  student  of  the  subject  who  is  in  search  of  defi- 
nite knowledge. 

Inasmuch  as  this  particular  work  proceeds  from  the  plane 
of  Natural  Science,  its  purpose  is  didactic  rather  than  discur- 
sive or  controversial.  For  the  purpose,  therefore,  of  elim- 
inating from  the  subject  as  much  irrelevant  and  immaterial 
matter  as  may  be  possible,  and  thus  reaching  by  the  most 
direct  route  the  real  issues  under  consideration,  attention  is 
called  to  the  following  significant  admissions : 

1.  It  is  admitted  that  Mediumship  is  a  fact. 

2.  It  is  admitted  that  there  is  a  life  after  what  is  known  as 


138       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

physical  death.     That  is  to  say,  physical  death  does  not  anni- 
hilate the  essential  part  of  our  being,  the  intelligent  soul. 

3.  It  is  admitted  that  after  dissolution   of  the  physical 
body  the  intelligence,  ego,  soul  or  individual  entity  continues 
to  inhabit  a  spiritual  body. 

4.  It  is  admitted  that  an  individual  who  has  passed  into 
the   spiritual   life  may,   under   certain  conditions,   come   into 
direct  contact  with  those  who  are  still  in  the  physical  body, 
and  may  even  control  the  will,  voluntary  powers  and  sensory 
organisms  of  such  physically   embodied  persons  as   may  be 
susceptible  to  such  influence,  and  use  them  as  mediums. 

5.  It  is  admitted  that  by  and  through  such  control  a  me- 
dium may  be  made  unconscious,  or  may  be  made  to  produce 
genuine  psychic  phenomena  of  a  wide  range  and  variety. 

6.  It  is  admitted  that  as  a  result  of  such  control  genuine 
communications  may  be  had  between  individuals  in  the  phys- 
ical body  and  those  in  the  spiritual. 

7.  It  is  admitted  that  communications  thus  obtained  have 
brought  comfort  to  sorrowing  men  and  women  whose  loved 
ones   have  gone   before  them   through  the   transition   called 
physical  death. 

8.  It   is  admitted   that  by   and   through   the   process  of 
mediumship  a  certain  amount  of  information  has  been  com- 
municated by  those  in  the  spiritual  life  to  those  in  the  phys- 
ical, concerning  the  life  beyond  the  grave. 

9.  It  is  admitted  that  modern  Spiritualism  is  the  natural 
and  logical  outgrowth  of  Mediumship,  and  that  it  has  done 
something  during  the  last  fifty  years  to  open  the  way  to  an 
unprejudiced    examination    of  psychic   phenomena,    and  that 
such    an   examination    must   necessarily    result    in   benefit   to 
those  who  possess  the  intelligence  to  understand  and  appre- 
ciate the  results  in  all  their  bearings. 

10.  It  is  admitted  that  there  are  some  honest  mediums 
who   are   conscientiously   endeavoring  to   serve   their   fellow 
men  and  women  who  are  in  doubt  or  perplexity  concerning 
the  fact  of  a  life  beyond  the  grave. 

n.     It  is  admitted  that  there  are  some  honest  spirit  con- 
trols who  are  endeavoring  to  render  a  beneficent  service  to  the 


SIGNIFICANT  ADMISSIONS 139 

world  by  controlling  mediums  and  using  them  as  instruments 
by  and  through  which  to  bring  tidings  from  the  spirit  life 
to  the  friends  they  have  left  behind. 

12.  It  is  admitted  that  the  mischievous  and  destructive 
effects  of  mediumship  do  not,  as  a  general  rule,  begin  to  man- 
ifest themselves  at  once  to  the  medium  nor  to  the  casual  ob- 
server. 

13.  It  is  admitted  that  much  has  been  written  by  stu- 
dents, mediums,  controls,  spiritualists,  and  investigators  gen- 
erally,  concerning   the   subject    of   mediumship,   at    variance 
with  the  position  taken  in  this  work. 

It  will  be  observed  that  these  admissions  cover  a  wide 
field  of  hitherto  disputed  territory.  Their  purpose  is  two- 
fold, viz. : 

1.  To   give    to    Spiritualism    and    Mediumship    the    full 
benefit  of  every  possible  doubt  which  rational  and  fair-minded 
intelligence  may  be  able  to  suggest. 

2.  Having  thus  admitted  every  material  claim  set  up  by 
the  most  enthusiastic  advocate  of  mediumship,  it 'is  designed 
to  remove  all  these  mooted  questions  from  the  field  of  our 
present  consideration. 

This  course  is  practicable  only  for  the  reason  that  from 
the  standpoint  of  Natural  Science  all  these  disputed  questions 
are  of  such  secondary  and  indifferent  importance  as  to  be, 
for  the  most  part,  irrelevant  and  immaterial  in  the  light  of  the 
known  scientific  results. 

In  other  words,  the  position  from  which  the  subject  is-  to 
be  here  considered  entirely  transcends  the  objective  view  of 
all  these  matters  and  deals  with  the  principle  of  Nature 
which  lies  back  of  the  factitious  phenomena  of  mediumship. 

The  general  effect  of  these  admissions  upon  the  mind  of 
the  reader  will  depend  somewhat  upon  the  position  from 
which  he  views  the  subject  under  consideration. 

For  instance,  if  he  should  be  a  medium  or  a  spiritualist, 
or  a  sympathetic  student  of  spiritualistic  philosophy  and  phe- 
nomena, it  is  not  difficult  to  understand  how  he  might  be  led 
to  conclude  that  his  claims  are  not  only  admitted,  but  that  his 
position  and  conclusions  are  fully  approved.  If  so,  however, 


140      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

he  is  asked  to  suspend  judgment  and  maintain  an  open  and 
unbiased  mind  until  he  has  carefully  examined  the  subject 
from  the  position  of  Natural  Science. 

If  a  physical  scientist  of  the  school  of  conventional  mate- 
rialism, it  would  seem  that  his  most  natural  impulse  might  be 
to  close  the  book  at  once  in  a  sort  of  scientific  disgust,  under 
the  well  defined  impression  that  its  author  is  either  a  knave, 
a  fool,  a  subject  of  insanity,  or  a  total  stranger  to  science  and 
to  scientific  methods  and  requirements.  If  so,  however,  he  too 
is  asked  to  so  far  master  his  impulse  as  to  follow  the  subject 
to  its  logical  and  legitimate  conclusion. 

If  a  minister  of  the  Gospel,  an  honest  and  conscientious 
member  of  any  church,  or  a  consistent  believer  in  any  of  the 
religious  creeds  of  Christendom,  his  first  impression  might 
reasonably  be  one  of  doubt  or  disapproval  as  to  the  effect  of 
such  sweeping  admissions  upon  the  basis  of  his  religious 
faith.  If  so,  he  is  asked  to  put  aside  his  doubts  for  the  pres- 
ent and  withhold  his  disapproval  until  he  has  heard  the  case 
through  to  -the  end.  It  would  be  manifestly  unfair  for  him 
to  draw  his  conclusions  and  render  his  judgment  upon  but 
a  small  percentage  of  the  material  facts  in  the  case. 

If  he  should  be  one  who,  for  any  reason,  may  be  bitterly 
prejudiced  against  spiritualism  or  mediumship,  he  might  be 
inclined  to  take  alarm  lest  these  comprehensive  admissions 
prove  fatal  to  his  position  and  prove  that  his  prejudices  are 
without  foundation  in  fact.  If  so,  he  is  asked  to  calm  his 
fears  and  patiently  and  carefully  analyze  the  principle  which 
underlies  these  admissions. 

And  finally,  if,  perchance,  he  should  be  a  broad  minded 
man  of  intelligence,  unfettered  by  religious,  scientific  or  phil- 
osophic dogmatism,  free  from  the  blighting  influence  of  con- 
ventionalism, bigotry,  prejudice  and  superstition,  and  suffi- 
ciently interested  in  the  subject  to  give  it  his  thoughtful  con- 
sideration, he  will  not  need  admonitions  of  any  kind.  He 
will  patiently  follow  the  exposition  through  to  its  conclusion 
and  reserve  his  judgment  until  all  the  facts  are  before  him 
and  the  law  which  underlies  them  has  been  made  plain. 

Prophetic  reference  has  already  been  made  to  the  possible 


SIGNIFICANT  ADMISSIONS 141 

attitude  of  the  physical  materialist  of  the  conventional  type, 
and  it  has  been  suggested  that  he  might  be  inclined  to  repu- 
diate the  foregoing  admissions,  or  the  major  part  of  them  at 
least,  upon  the  scientific  ground  that  the  subject  matter  in- 
volved in  them  has  not  been  proved.  From  the  standpoint 
of  physical  science  his  point  would  be  well  taken.  This  is  es- 
pecially true  for  the  reason  that  the  subject  matter  covered 
by  these  admissions  is  very  largely  outside  the  limitations 
within  which  the  conventional  school  of  physical  science  has 
been  and  is  at  the  present  time  operating. 

Because  of  this  fact,  which  common  fairness  compels  us 
to  recognize,  it  is  not  to  be  expected  nor  even  hoped  that  the 
physical  scientist,  generally  speaking,  will  find  in  a  work  of 
this  scope  and  character  material  for  serious  consideration  or 
for  scientific  investigation  according  to  and  within  the  limits 
of  his  own  conventional  school. 

Indeed,  it  will  be  esteemed  an  unexpected  compliment  of 
the  highest  character  if  any  acknowledged  authority  within 
that  splendid  aggregation  of  intelligent  and  earnest  workers 
shall  feel  himself  justified  in  devoting  the  time  and  thought 
necessary  to  a  careful  and  critical  reading  of  this  volume. 

It  is  most  gratifying,  however,  to  observe  that  the  pio- 
neers of  physical  science  are  coming  very  close  to  the  border 
line  of  the  psychical  in  their  researches  and  investigation.  A 
few  in  the  front  rank  have  actually  reached  it,  and  it  is  confi- 
dently believed  that  within  a  comparatively  short  time  these 
few  will  be  able  to  lead  the  many  over  into  the  broader  field 
of  Natural  Science. 

This  is  a  consummation  devoutly  to  be  sought.  But  until 
that  time  shall  come  the  less  conspicuous  intelligences  within 
the  body  of  that  school  must  not  be  expected  to  enter  with 
any  degree  of  enthusiasm  upon  the  investigation  and  study 
of  subjects  which  are  supposed  to  lie  outside  the  present  lim- 
itations and  legitimate  scope  and  purpose  of  their  empirical 
system. 

For  the  immediate  present,  therefore,  this  department  of 
the  work  is  addressed  more  especially  to  the  intelligent  con- 
sideration of  spiritualists,  mediums,  students  and  investiga- 


142       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

tors  of  mediumship  and  psychic  phenomena,  intelligent 
Christians  of  all  creeds  and  sects,  and  to  all  those  who  are 
likely  to  fall  under  the  fascinating  spell  of  the  seance  or  fall 
a  victim  to  the  subtle  mysticism  which  surrounds  the  great 
and  inspiring  problem  of  the  continuity  of  individual  life. 


FACTS  DEMONSTRATED  143 


CHAPTER    IV. 


FACTS  DEMONSTRATED. 

In  the  preceding  chapter  certain  admissions  have  been 
made  which,  to  the  minds  of  many,  may  appear  extraordi- 
nary, unscientific,  unwarranted,  and  therefore  unfortunate 
for  the  cause  of  truth. 

It  will  be  clear  that  if  these  admissions  should  concede 
that  which  is  false  and  should  thereby  introduce  falsehood 
into  the  record  of  facts  upon  which  this  work  is  based,  there 
could  be  no  assurance  whatever  that  the  results  obtained  are 
reliable.  In  other  words,  a  court  cannot  be  expected  to  ren- 
der a  correct  judgment  upon  a  false  statement  of  facts. 

It  is  an  accepted  rule  of  logic  that  if  a  premise  be  false, 
any  conclusion  based  upon  the  assumption  of  its  truth  must 
be  regarded  as  unreliable.  It  should,  to  say  the  least,  be  re- 
garded as  unscientific. 

The  purpose  of  this  chapter,  therefore,  is  briefly  and  con- 
cisely to  state  the  demonstrated  facts  of  Natural  Science 
upon  which  the  admissions  referred  to  are  rounded.  They 
are  as  follows : 

1.  All  physical  matter,  both  inorganic  and  organic,  inte- 
grates  conjointly   with   a  finer   ethereal   or   spiritual   pattern, 
in  such  manner  as  to  constitute  what  may  properly  be  termed 
a  double  material  entity. 

No  attempt  will  be  made  here  to  account  for  this  phe- 
nomenon of  Nature.  It  simply  exists  as  one  of  the  established 
facts  with  which  Natural  Science  is  compelled  to  deal.  As 
such  it  forms  an  important  link  in  the  chain  which  connects 
the  two  correlated  words  of  matter,  motion,  number,  life  and 
intelligence. 

2.  In  the  kingdom  of  inorganic  matter  these  two  bodies 
appear  to  be  more  equally  dependent,   one   upon  the  other, 
than   are  the   duplicate   bodies  of   organic  matter.      This   is 
more  fully  explained  by  the  facts  which  follow  . 

3.  The   integration   of   a   physical   stone   conjointly   with 
its  finer  ethereal  pattern  is  of  such  a  character  that  upon  the 


144      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

sudden  and  forced  disintegration  and  dissolution  of  the 
physical  stone  its  finer  ethereal  body,  or  duplicate,  remains 
intact  for  a  comparatively  brief  period  of  time. 

4.  In  due  course  of  time,  however,  the  ethereal  body  of 
the  stone  also  disintegrates,  dissolves,  and  to  every  appear- 
ance returns  to  its  original  elements. 

5.  During  the  time  it  remains  intact  this  ethereal  body 
of  the  stone  is  visible  with  perfect  distinctness  to  one  whose 
sense  of  sight  is  keen  enough  to  observe  it. 

6.  In   the   vegetable   kingdom    the   two    material   bodies 
do  not  manifest  the  same  degree  of  mutual  dependence,  one 
upon  the  other,  as  in  the  mineral  kingdom.    The  meaning  of 
this  will  be  more  clearly  apparent  in  the  light  of  the  following 
facts. 

7.  Upon  the  sudden  disintegration  and  dissolution  of  the 
physical  body  of  an  oak  tree  its  ethereal  duplicate  persists 
intact  for  a  much  longer  period  than  does  the  ethereal  body 
of  the  stone. 

8.  But  in  due  course  of  time  the  ethereal  tree  also  dis- 
integrates, dissolves,  disappears   from  the  spiritual  plane  of 
the  vegetable  kingdom,  and  to  every  appearance  is  resolved 
back  into  its  original  elements. 

9.  In  the  animal  kingdom  the  independence  of  the  spir- 
itual body  from  the  physical,  in  its  power  of  continuity,  is 
very  markedly  increased.     This  fact  will  be  more  fully  ex- 
plained by  the  next  paragraph. 

10.  At  the  period  of  physical  dissolution  of  an  animal 
it  is  clear  (to  one  who  is  able  to  observe  the  transition)  that 
the  spiritual  body  carries  with  it   (or  accompanies)   the  ani- 
mating principle  of  the  animal  entity.     This  is  evidenced  by 
the  fact  that  during  its  existence  as  a  spiritual  organism  it 
appears  to  possess  all  the  natural  faculties  and  intelligent  ca- 
pacities and  powers  which  belong  to  the  animal  entity. 

11.  The  animal,  however,  in  due  course  of  time,  disap- 
pears from  the  spiritual  plane  of  the  animal  kingdom. 

12.  It   does  not  reappear    (at   least   in   identical   or  dis- 
tinguishable form)   upon  any  of  the  spiritual  planes  of  life 
which  are  distinctively  related  to  this  particular  planet.    What 


FACTS  DEMONSTRATED 145 

becomes  of  it?     The  answer  to  this  question  is  reserved  for 
another  chapter. 

13.  In    the    kingdom    of    man    the    transition    we    call 
physical  death  is  even  more  clearly  a  mere  incident  in  the  life 
of  the  soul.     This  seems  to  be  especially  emphasized  by  the 
further  facts  hereinafter  stated. 

14.  At   the   moment   of  physical    dissolution   of   a   man, 
woman  or  child,  the  spiritual  body  separates  from  the  physi- 
cal in  a  manner  which  appears  to  be  identical  with  the  sepa- 
ration of  the  two  bodies  of  the  animal  at  its  physical  death. 

15.  The  animating  principle  of  the   double  organic  en- 
tity accompanies  (or  is  accompanied  by)  the  spiritual  organ- 
ism only,  when  physical  death  occurs,  and  in  this  respect  the 
process  of  dissolution  corresponds,  to  all  appearances,  with 
that  of  the  animal. 

16.  The  spiritual  man,  woman  or  child    persists    intact 
upon  the  spiritual  planes  of  life  for  an  indefinite  period  of 
time  after  physical  dissolution,  as  does  the  animal  (with  the 
exceptions  hereinafter  noted). 

17.  Men,  women  and  children  upon  the  spiritual  planes 
of  life  appear  to  possess  all  the  natural  faculties  and  intelli- 
gent capacities  and  powers  with  which  they  were  invested  at 
and  prior  to  the  time  of  physical  dissolution.     In  this  respect 
also  they  appear  to  acknowledge  the  same  law  which  governs 
the  animal. 

18.  But  men,  women  and  children,  in  the  course  of  the 
ages,  disappear  from  the  lowest  plane  of  the  kingdom  of  spir- 
itual man,  and  yet  not  always  in  a  manner  which  is  identical 
with  the  disappearance  of  the  animal  from  the  spiritual  plane 
of  animal  life. 

19.  In   other  words,   man  disappears    from    the    lowest 
plane  of  his  spiritual  life  in  either  of  two  different  manners 
and  by  two  distinctly  opposite  methods  or  processes. 

20.  That  is  to  say,  under  the  constructive  principle  and 
process  of  evolution,  growth,  development  and  progress,  he 
disappears   from  the   lowest   plane   of   spiritual    life,   only   to 
appear  upon  the  next  higher,  inhabiting  a  finer  spiritual  or- 
ganism, clothed  in  richer  splendor,  and  in  possession  of  all 


146      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

the  natural  faculties  and  intelligent  capacities  and  powers 
with  which  he  was  invested  at  the  time  of  the  transition,  and 
with  the  same  individuality.  He  is  fully  conscious  of  the 
transition  and  is  able  at  will  to  reappear  upon  the  lower  plane 
through  which  he  has  passed,  and  manifest  himself  to  those 
who  have  known  him  there.  In  an  analogous  manner  he  is 
able  to  pass  on  to  higher  planes  of  spirituality  and  life. 

21.  But  under  the  operation  of  the  opposite  principle  and 
process   of   destruction,   or   devolution,   man   also   disappears 
from  the  lowest  plane  of  his  spiritual  h'fe  in  a  manner  which 
corresponds,  in  every  essential  particular,  with  the  disappear- 
ance of  the  animal.  % 

22.  In  this  latter  instance  he  does  not  reappear  (at  least 
in  identical  or  distinguishable  form)  upon  any  of  the  higher 
planes  of  spiritual  life  which  are  distinctively  related  to  this 
particular  planet. 

23.  In  the  spiritual  life  man's  ability  to  persist  and  ad- 
vance from  lower  to  higher  planes  of  existence  is  commen- 
surate with  his  own  independent  control  of  all  his  individual 
faculties,  capacities  and  powers,  and  in  response  to  his  inde- 
pendent, self-conscious  and  rational  volition  and  desire  to  so 
persist  and  advance. 

24.  He  obtains  this   control  of  his  individual    faculties, 
capacities  and  powers  only  in  accordance  with  his  own  inde- 
pendent,  self-conscious    and    rational     desire   and   will,  and 
through   honest,   intelligent,   courageous  and  persistent    per- 
sonal effort,  in  conformity  with  Nature's  Constructive  Prin- 
ciple. 

25.  But  in  the  spiritual  life,  as  in  the  physical,  man  may 
fail,  neglect  or  refuse  to  make  the  effort  necessary  to  obtain 
or  exercise  control  of  his  individual  faculties,  capacities  and 
powers.     Or,  once  having  acquired  such  control,  he  may  de- 
liberately surrender  it  to  other  intelligences,  provided  he  can 
find  those  who  are  willing  to  assume  the  responsibility.     Or 
he  may  knowingly  and  intentionally  prostitute  his  powers  to 
dishonest  and  vicious  purposes. 

26.  In  every  such  instance  he  is  proceeding  in  conformity 


FACTS  DEMONSTRATED 147 

with  Nature's  Destructive  Principle,  and  must  pay  the  penalty 
which  Nature  exacts  therefor.  The  inevitable  result  is  retro- 
gression, involving  a  corresponding  forfeiture  of  the  power  of 
self-control. 

27.  This  retrograde  movement  of  spiritual  life,  if  per- 
sisted in,  ultimately  leads  to  man's  disappearance  from  the 
lowest  plane  of  his  spiritual  life,  in  the  manner  and  under  the 
principle  and  process  referred  to  in  paragraphs  numbered  21 
and  22,  above. 

In  closing  this  chapter  the  reader  is  asked  to  bear  in  mind 
that  herein-  we  have  been  dealing  with  established  facts  only. 
These  facts  have  been  demonstrated  with  as  much  scientific 
exactness  and  certainty  as  has  the  physical  fact  that  by  the 
action  of  electricity  light  may  be  produced,  power  generated 
and  messages  transmitted. 

Furthermore,  it  is  entirely  within  the  ability  of  every  in- 
dividual who  possesses  the  necessary  Intelligence,  Courage 
and  Perseverance  to  prove  the  truth  of  every  statement  herein 
contained,  provided  he  also  has  the  necessary  time,  place  and 
environment  for  study  under  proper  and  efficient  instruction. 

Let  it  be  also  distinctly  understood  that  the  process  by  and 
through  which  these  demonstrations  may  be  accomplished  with 
perfect  safety  and  the  most  intense  satisfaction  to  the  indi- 
vidual are  neither  hypnotic  nor  mediumistic,  nor  in  any  other 
manner  of  a  subjective  nature. 

It  will  doubtless  be  observed  that  the  writer  speaks  with 
unqualified  assurance  as  to  the  facts  stated.  The  question 
naturally  arises,  "How  does  he  know  these  things?" 

For  the  partial  satisfaction  of  those  to  whom  a  definite 
answer  would  be  deemed  of  special  interest  or  value,  the 
author  is  at  liberty  to  here  state  that  at  a  future  time  and 
in  another  volume  of  this  Series  he  hopes  to  be  able  to  pub- 
lish a  detailed  account  of  his  own  personal  experiences,  studies 
and  demonstrations,  together  with  the  nature  of  his  instruc- 
tion during  the  twenty  years  he  has  been  engaged  in  acquiring 
the  knowledge  which  enables  him  to  speak  with  uncondi- 
tional assurance. 


148      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

To  enter  upon  the  presentation  of  these  matters  at  the 
present  time  would  only  serve  to  divert  attention  from  the 
specific  and  more  important  purposes  of  this  volume  and  en- 
tirely transcend  its  legitimate  and  proper  limitations. 


SPIRITUAL  MEDIUMSHIP 149 

CHAPTER  V. 

SPIRITUAL  MEDIUMSHIP  ANALYZED  AND  CLASSIFIED. 

Mediumship  is  the  process  by  and  through  which  a  spir- 
itual intelligence  obtains,  holds  and  exercises  control  of  the 
will,  voluntary  powers  and  sensory  organism  of  a  medium.  It 
also  includes  the  relation  which  exists  between  the  two  indi- 
vidual intelligences  during  the  continuance  of  the  mediumistic 
process. 

A  comparison  of  this  definition  with  that  of  hypnotism,  in 
Part  I,  discloses  the  fact  that  mediumship  is  nothing  more 
and  nothing  less  than  spiritual  hypnotism.  It  is,  indeed,  the 
hypnotization  of  a  physically  embodied  individual  by  a  spirit- 
ually embodied  intelligence. 

It  is  well  known  that  there  are  a  good  many  mediums  who 
will  be  inclined,  at  first  thought,  to  challenge  the  accuracy 
of  the  foregoing  definition  upon  the  ground  that  it  does  not 
correspond  with  their  own  experiences.  If  their  claim  be 
true,  then  it  is  clear  that  the  definition  is  defective.  On  the 
other  hand,  if  the  definition  is  correct,  then  it  is  equally  clear 
that  those  mediums  who  object  to  it  are  simply  mistaken  in 
the  assumption  that  it  fails  to  define  their  particular  forms 
of  mediumship.  In  other  words,  they  are  mistaken  in  the 
character  of  their  mediumship  or  in  the  principle  which  un- 
derlies the  mediumistic  process. 

In  either  event  it  becomes  necessary  to  carefully  examine 
and  test  the  accuracy  of  the  definition  before  proceeding  to  a 
consideration  of  the  subject  in  chief.  For  this  reason  it  is  of 
the  utmost  importance  to  fix  in  mind  clearly  and  definitely  the 
underlying  principle  upon  which  the  definition  is  founded. 

This  principle  may  be  stated  in  its  simplest  and  briefest 
form  as  follows : 

Mediumship  is  a  subjective,  psychic  process. 

Like  hypnotism,  mediumship  involves  at  least  two  intelli- 
gences. One  of  these,  however,  is  a  spiritual  intelligence, 
while  the  other  is  in  the  physical  body.  The  spiritual  intelli- 
gence dominates  and  controls  the  will,  voluntary  powers  and 


150       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

sensory  organism  of  the  medium.  The  medium,  being  thus 
under  the  domination  and  control  of  the  outside,  spiritual  in- 
telligence, is  therefore  in  a  subjective  condition  and  relation 
to  the  exact  extent  that  such  control  exists. 

That  is  to  say,  in  just  so  far  as  a  physically  embodied  in- 
dividual is  subject  to  the  domination  and  control  of  outside 
spiritual  intelligences,  in  just  that  far  the  process  involved 
and  the  relation  thus  established  are  mediumistic  and  there- 
fore subjective. 

The  corollary  of  this  proposition  is  equally  true,  namely : 
to  the  extent  that  a  physically  embodied  individual  is  free 
from  the  domination  and  control  of  outside,  spiritual  intelli- 
gences, to  precisely  this  extent,  the  relation  between  them  is  in- 
dependent and  therefore  not  mediumistic  nor  subjective. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  mediumship,  like  hypnotism, 
involves  all  shades  and  degrees  of  control,  from  the  mildest 
form  of  impressional  subjection  to  the  deepest  and  most  pro- 
found state  of  lethargic  or  trance  control.  This  is  a  funda- 
mental fact  of  primary  importance.  It  is  a  fact  well  known 
to  all  those  who  have  given  the  subject  of  mediumship  their 
intelligent  consideration.  To  none  is  it  known  more  defi- 
nitely than  to  mediums  themselves. 

Notwithstanding  this  fact,  however,  this  variation  in  the 
degree  of  control  undoubtedly  constitutes  one  of  the  most 
prolific  sources  of  error  and  misunderstanding  on  the  part 
of  mediums  concerning  the  real  principle  involved  in  medium- 
ship  and  the  mediumistic  process.  There  is  a  perfectly  valid 
and  natural  reason  for  this.  The  rationale  of  all  this  error 
and  misunderstanding  will  become  perfectly  apparent  \\licn 
the  various  forms  and  degrees  of  mediumship  are  fully  un- 
derstood. For  this  purpose  the  following  classification  and 
analysis  are  of  special  importance : 

I.  IMPRESSIONAL  MEDIUMSHIP.  Under  this  form  of  sub- 
jection the  medium  never  becomes  unconscious  of  his  physi- 
cal environment  to  any  noticeable  degree.  On  the  other 
hand,  he  is  usually  left  almost  entirely  free  from  what  is  com- 
monly known  and  designated  as  "control."  This  general 


SPIRITUAL  MEDIUMSHIP 151 

form  of  mediumship  may,  for  convenience,  be  very  properly 
subdivided  into : 

1.  CONSCIOUS     IMPRESSIONAL     MEDIUMSHIP.       In     this 
case  the  medium  is  not  only  conscious  of  his  physical  environ- 
ment, but  is  also  consciously  aware  of  the  fact  that  he  is  in 
touch  with  outside,  spiritual  intelligences,  although  he  is  un- 
able to  either  see  or  hear  them.     He  comes  into  such  close  re- 
lation to  them,  in  fact,  that  they  are  able  to  control  his  men- 
tal operations  to  a  considerable  extent.      There    are    many 
mediums  of  this  class  throughout  the  country,  and  every  stu- 
dent of  the  subject  who  has  given  this  phase  of  it  attention 
will  be  able  to  call  to  mind  a  number  of  such  with  whom  he 
has  come  into  an  acquaintance. 

Even  where  the  medium  is  admitted  to  be  both  honest  and 
intelligent,  it  is  found  that  this  form  of  mediumship  cannot 
be  relied  upon  with  any  degree  of  assurance  or  certainty.  This 
unreliability  arises  from  the  fact  that  mediums  of  this  class 
are  unable  to  differentiate  accurately  between  their  own  in- 
dependent thoughts  and  those  which  are  impressed  upon  them 
from  without. 

2.  UNCONSCIOUS     IMPRESSIONAL    MEDIUMSHIP.     Under 
this  form  of  subjection  the  medium  is  entirely  unaware  of  the 
fact  that  he  is  in  touch  with  outside,  spiritual    intelligences 
who  are  able  to  control  him.     Their  control  over  him  is  of  so 
subtle  a  character  that  he  does  not  recognize  it  as  a  power 
independent  of  himself.     Of  this  class  the  following  may  be 
taken  as  typical  examples : 

(a)  SO-CALLED  "INSPIRATIONAL  SPEAKERS."  Such  an 
individual  as  this  goes  before  his  audience  wholly  unprepared. 
He  depends  entirely  upon  "the  inspiration  of  the  moment." 
When  he  faces  his  audience  he  waits  an  instant  for  the  "in- 
spiration" to  take  possession  of  him.  When  this  occurs  his 
whole  manner  changes.  His  entire  physical  body  becomes 
animated.  His  face  takes  on  an  expression  of  exaltation  and 
rapturous  enthusiasm.  Although  conscious  of  what  is  pass- 
ing about  him  upon  the  physical  plane,  and  fully  aware,  at 
the  moment,  of  all  he  is  saying,  yet  the  instant  his  address 
is  finished  his  manner  changes  again  even  more  markedly 


152       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

than  at  the  beginning.  There  comes  an  expression  of  lassi- 
tude, a  depression  of  spirit,  a  physical  exhaustion,  a  general 
inertia  of  the  entire  being.  In  many  instances  sleep  is  an  im- 
mediate necessity.  It  is  not  infrequently  the  case  that  the 
substance  of  the  speaker's  address,  lecture  or  sermon,  as  the 
case  may  be,  soon  passes  from  his  memory  entirely,  or  is  re- 
called with  great  difficulty.  Mediums  of  this  character,  when 
not  under  control,  are  often  exceedingly  impulsive,  or  moody, 
and  are  generally  of  a  highly  wrought,  nervous  temperament. 

All  these  symptoms  serve  to  distinguish  the  impressional 
medium  from  the  genuine  inspirational  speaker,  who,  by  the 
exercise  of  his  own  independent  powers,  rises  to  the  level  of 
his  "inspiration." 

(b)  EMOTIONAL  INSANITY.  This  is  the  name  which  the 
medical  fraternity  have  given  to  certain  phases  of  uncon- 
scious, impressional  mediumship.  Cases  of  this  nature  are 
found  in  our  insane  asylums  all  over  the  country.  They  make 
up  a  considerable  percentage  of  the  so-called  insane  all  over 
the  world.  In  such  cases  the  medium  may  gradually  settle 
into  a  state  of  melancholy,  or  become  violently  hysterical  at 
times,  or  obtain  the  impression  that  he  is  going  to  die,  or  that 
he  is  going  to  fail  in  business,  or  that  some  terrible  disaster  is 
impending. 

Such  an  individual  is  likely  to  prophesy  all  manner  of 
things,  fully  believing  they  will  surely  come  true  at  the  ap- 
pointed time.  If  he  should  be  of  the  devoutly  religious  type, 
he  not  infrequently  receives  the  impression  that  God  has  com- 
manded him  to  do  some  extraordinary  thing,  such  as  offer  up 
one  of  his  children  as  a  propitiatory  sacrifice,  and  unless  re- 
strained will  carry  out  the  command  with  religious  fervor 
and  enthusiasm.  Many  instances  of  this  nature  have  oc- 
curred in  this  country  within  the  memory  of  the  present  gen- 
eration. These  prophetic  and  mandatory  impressions  come 
to  him  without  his  bidding,  and,  being  ignorant  of  their  nature 
or  source,  he  accepts  them  as  true.  If  he  but  knew  whence 
they  come,  he  might  be  able  to  guard  against  them,  but  in 
the  absence  of  such  knowledge  on  his  part  he  becomes  a  vic- 
tim of  these  impressions  and  is  locked  up  with  the  insane. 


SPIRITUAL  MEDIUMSHIP 153 

Mediums  of  the  sub-classes  just  named,  so  long  as  the 
process  does  not  carry  them  beyond  the  semi-condition  here 
indicated,  are  quick  to  deny  that  they  are  under  the  control 
of  outside  intelligences.  Their  position  in  this  regard  is  per- 
fectly consistent,  from  their  point  of  view,  for  they  are  en- 
tirely ignorant  of  the  presence  or  domination  of  these  outside 
intelligences.  Their  ignorance,  however,  does  not  alter  the 
facts  any  more  than  the  ignorance  of  the  Catholic  Church  in 
the  days  of  the  Spanish  Inquisition  altered  the  fact  that  the 
earth  moves  round  the  sun. 

II.  MUSCULAR  MEDIUMSHIP.  This  general  form  of 
mediumship  manifests  itself  in  a  wide  variety  of  phenomena. 
Typical  illustrations  of  this  general  class  are  as  follows: 

1.  THE  OUIJA  BOARD.     This  consists  of  a  smoothly  pol- 
ished surface  from  fifteen  to  eighteen  inches  wide  by  twenty 
to  twenty-four  inches  long,  on  which  the  letters  of  the  alpha- 
bet  are   printed   in   semi-circular   arrangement.      Upon    this 
smooth  surface  a  small  triangular  board  with  three  legs  is 
placed.     This  is  known  as  the  "Ouija."     Its  legs  are  usually 
tipped  with  some  kind   of  soft  cloth  to  facilitate   their  easy 
movement  over  the  smooth  surface  upon   which  the   letters 
are  printed. 

The  hand  of  the  medium  is  placed  upon  the  Ouija  and 
allowed  to  rest  lightly  upon  the  tips  of  the  fingers  and  thumb. 
The  medium  then  places  himself  in  as  negative  or  passive  a 
condition  of  mind  as  possible  and  awaits  developments.  Soon 
the  Ouija  begins  to  move  about  over  the  smooth  surface.  It 
moves  from  letter  to  letter  of  the  alphabet,  thus  spelling  out 
words  and  sentences  with  great  facility.  In  this  manner 
authentic  messages  from  spiritual  intelligences  have  been  and 
may  be  received. 

2.  AUTOMATIC  WRITING.     This  is  but  the  same  process 
extended.     Instead  of  using  the  board,  a  pencil  is  placed  in 
the  fingers  of  the  medium's  hand,  and  the  hand  is  then  allowed 
to  rest  in  a  natural  position  for  writing  upon  a  slate  or  sheet 
of  paper,  as  the  case  may  be.     The  same  negative  or  passive 
condition  of  mind  is  then  assumed  by  the  medium  and  his 


THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

hand  is  thus  resigned,  as  it  were,  to  the  control  of  such  spir- 
itual intelligences  as  may  be  present  and  able  to  use  it. 

It  may  be  of  interest  to  note  the  fact  that  Mr.  W.  T. 
Stead,  editor  of  the  London  Review  of  Reviews,  informs  his 
readers  that  his  "Letters  from  Julia"  were  received  in  this 
manner  through  the  automatic  control  of  his  own  hand. 

In  both  these  characters  of  mediumship  the  medium  almost 
invariably  labors  under  the  impression  that  he  is  entirely  free 
from  mental  domination  or  control,  and  that  the  action  of  the 
hand  in  writing  and  spelling  out  the  words  is  wholly  auto- 
matic. Mr.  Stead  evidently  takes  this  view  of  the  subject,  for 
in  his  prefatory  explanation  he  says : 

"The  hand  apparently  writes  of  itself,  the  person  to  whom 
the  hand  belongs  having  no  knowledge  of  what  it  is  about  to 
write.  It  is  a  very  familiar  and  simple  form  of  mediumship, 
which  in  no  way  impairs  the  writer's  faculties  or  places  his 
personality  under  the  control  of  any  other  intelligence." 
(Letters  from  Julia,  p.  viii.) 

It  is  true  that  in  many  instances  the  hand  of  such  a  me- 
dium writes  words  and  sentences  of  which  the  medium  has 
no  anticipatory  knowledge  whatever,  so  far  as  he  is  con- 
sciously aware.  He  often  does  not  know  what  his  hand  has 
written  until  he  sees  the  written  message  or  follows  mentally 
the  movements  of  his  fingers  as  they  write  it  out.  These 
facts,  which  are  fully  admitted,  would  seem,  upon  their  face, 
strongly  to  bear  out  the  general  impression  among  mediums 
that  this  form  of  mediumship  is  wholly  automatic  and  does 
not  affect  the  mind  of  the  medium  at  all. 

Such,  however,  is  not  the  case.  Those  who  entertain  such 
an  idea  are  cruelly  deceived.  The  demonstration  of  this  fact 
is  scientifically  conclusive  and  will  be  further  considered  in  a 
subsequent  chapter. 

There  are  many  other  manifestations  of  muscular  medium- 
ship  which  might  be  mentioned,  but  these  illustrations  appear 
sufficient  to  develop  the  principle  which  underlies  them  all. 
The  principle  itself  is  reserved  for  consideration  further  on. 

III.  NEUROTIC  MEDH'MSIIIP.  The  process  involved  in 
this  general  form  of  mediumship  acts  more  directly  upon  the 


SPIRITUAL  MEDIUMSHIP 155 

nervous  organism  of  the  medium.  Its  phenomena  cover  a 
wide  range  and  it  manifests  itself  in  many  different  forms. 
'For  the  purpose  of  identification  the  following  illustrations 
are  here  presented. 

1.  CLAIRVOYANCE.     Under  this  form  of  mediumship  spir- 
itual intelligences  who  understand  the  process  are  able  to  con- 
trol the  nervous  organism  of  the  eye  through  which  impres- 
sions are  conveyed  to  the  consciousness  of  the  medium.     By 
this  method  of  operation  they  are  able  to  impress  upon  the 
consciousness  of  the  medium  whatever  picture  or  image  they 
may  desire. 

Or,  they  may,  in  a  higher  form  of  clairvoyance,  produce 
a  condition  which  opens,  for  the  time  being,  a  direct  channel 
between  the  spiritual  world  and  the  consciousness  of  the 
medium.  In  this  latter  case  the  medium  unconsciously  em- 
ploys the  spiritual  sensory  organs  of  sight.  He  thus  sees 
whatever  there  is  to  be  seen  upon  the  spiritual  plane  within 
the  immediate  range  of  his  spiritual  vision. 

2.  CLAIRAUDIENCE.     This  process   is  identical  with  that 
of  clairvoyance,  except  that  it  is  applied  to  the  nervous  organ- 
ism of  the  ear  instead  of  the  eye.     In  this  case  the  medium 
hears  whatever  the  controlling  intelligences  desire    that    he 
shall  hear,  and  nothing  else. 

Or,  if  the  process  be  carried  far  enough,  a  direct  channel 
may  be  opened  between  the  spiritual  plane  and  the  conscious- 
ness of  the  medium,  through  the  organ  of  hearing.  In  this 
latter  case  the  medium  hears  whatever  there  is  to  be  heard 
upon  the  spiritual  plane  within  the  range  of  his  spiritual 
hearing. 

3.  TOUCH,  TASTE  AND  SMELL.     In    precisely    the    same 
manner  the  remaining  senses  may  be  used  by  spiritual  intelli- 
gences to  convey  impressions    to    the    consciousness  of  the 
medium.     Wherever  this  occurs  he  may,  for  the  time  being, 
enjoy  the  sense  of  spiritual  touch,  taste  and  smell,  as  well  as 
those  of  sight  and  hearing. 

4.  DELUSIONAL  INSANITY.     Certain    forms    of    so-called 
"Delusional  Insanity"  also  fall  under  this  form  of  neurotic 
mediumship.     Inasmuch  as  the  subject  of  mediumistic  insan- 


156       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

ity  will  be  fully  treated  in  a  separate  chapter,  further  refer- 
ence to  this  particular  branch  of  the  subject  is  unnecessary  at 
this  time. 

IV.  TRANCE  MEDIUMSHIP.  The  manifestations  of  trance 
mediumship  are  those  which  usually  attract  the  largest  amount 
of  public  attention.  This  is  chiefly  because  they  are  of  a  more 
exaggerated  and  mysterious  character,  and  for  this  reason  ap- 
peal with  added  force  to  our  human  sense  of  curiosity.  The 
phenomena  of  trance  mediumship  are  many  and  varied. 
Those,  however,  which  are  most  familiar  to  the  general  public 
may  be  designated  as  follows: 

1.  SPEAKING  MEDIUMSHIP.     Under  this  form  of  control 
the  medium,  generally   speaking,  is  thrown   into    the    deep, 
lethargic  trance.     Wherever  this  occurs  he  is  entirely  uncon- 
scious of  what  transpires  during  the  trance  condition.     The 
dominating  intelligences  take  complete  control  of  his  volun- 
tary physical  organism  and  employ  it  as  an  instrument  for 
the  expression  of  their  own  thoughts  and  desires.     Through 
this  absolute  subjection  of  the  will  and  voluntary  powers  of 
the  medium  the  controlling  spiritual  intelligences  are  able  to 
use  his  vocal  organs  at  will.     Almost  every  student  or  imv  - 
tigator  of  the  subject  who  reads  this  volume  will  be  able  to 
recall  one  or  more  mediums  of  this  class.     There  are  very 
many  such  throughout  the  country. 

2.  MATERIALIZING  MEDIUMSHIP.     Under    this    form    of 
control  the  medium  is  first  thrown  into  a  state  of  profound 
trance.     Spiritual   intelligences   who   understand   the  process 
then  employ  the  vital  and  magnetic  properties,  forces  and  en- 
ergies of  the  medium's  physical  and  spiritual  organisms,  in 
conjunction  with  outside  elemental  conditions,  in  such  man- 
ner as  to  produce  the  phenomena  of  so-called  "Materializa- 
tion." 

A  partial  understanding  of  this  process  may  be  obtained 
from  the  following  brief  statement : 

(a)  Every  living,  human,  physical  organism  is  a  natural 
generator  of  animal  magnetism  and  vital  energy.     In  this  re- 
spect it  is  closely  analogous  to  an  electric  dynamo. 

(b)  During  the  physically  negative  or  passive  hours  of 


SPIRITUAL  MEDIUMSHIP 157 

sleep  this  human  dynamo  is  constantly  engaged  in  generating 
the  necessary  magnetism  and  vital  energy  with  which  to  pro- 
pel the  machinery  of  the  physical  body  during  the  waking 
hours  of  the  day.  The  moment  an  individual  wakens  from 
sleep  he  begins  to  draw  upon  this  accumulated  supply  and 
continues  to  do  so  until  sleep  once  more  locks  the  doors  of 
the  storehouse  and  prevents  further  escape. 

(c)  Under  proper  conditions  animal  magnetism  is  faintly 
visible  to  the  physical  eye.     This  fact  may  be  demonstrated 
by  anyone  who  will  observe  the  following  suggestions: 

Arrange  a  perfectly  black  background  so  that  an  individ- 
ual may  stand  in  front  of  it  with  plenty  of  margin  on  all 
sides  of  his  figure.  Then,  in  the  twilight  of  the  evening,  have 
a  strong,  healthy  man  take  a  position  within  four  to  six  feet 
in  front  of  this  background.  Take  a  position  yourself  at  a 
distance  of  twenty  to  forty  feet  from  him  so  that  his  form 
will  be  outlined  upon  the  dark  background. 

Now  let  your  eyes  rest  steadily  upon  his  form  for  a  few 
moments,  while  your  attention  is  directed  to  the  line  of  its 
limitations  upon  the  dark  background.  In  a  short  time  you 
will  begin  to  see  a  faint  radiation  of  light  surrounding  the 
form.  The  longer  you  look  the  more  distinct  it  will  become, 
until  the  form  will  appear  to  be  almost  illumined  with  an 
aura  of  radiating  light.  This  is  animal  magnetism  and  vita] 
energy  and  is  constantly  expended  in  this  manner  by  the  phys- 
ical body  during  the  waking  condition  of  every  individual. 

(d)  It  requires  but  a  very  small  amount  of  attenuated, 
physical  matter  added  to  this  physical  magnetism  to  bring  the 
compound  clearly  within  the  range  of  physical  vision. 

(e)  While  the  medium  is  in  the  deep,  lethargic,  trance 
state  the  physical  body  is  in    a    negative    or    passive  condi- 
tion.    In  this  condition  it  generates  animal  magnetism  very 
rapidly. 

(f)  While  the  physical  body  of  the  medium  is  in  this 
negative  condition  spiritual  forces  may  be  so  applied,  by  those 
who  understand  the  process,  as  to  draw  off  its  animal  magnet- 
ism and  vital  energy  as  rapidly  as  they  are  generated. 

(g)  The  liberated  animal  magnetism  of  a  medium  may 


158       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

be  controlled  by  the  action  of  the  will  of  one  who  understands 
the  process  by  which  this  is  accomplished.  This  proposition 
may  be  doubted  by  the  uninformed,  but  it  is  nevertheless  true, 
and  may  be  demonstrated  with  absolute  certainty,  as  ex- 
plained in  a  subsequent  chapter. 

(h)  When  the  medium  is  in  a  state  of  deep  trance  the 
spiritual  controls  who  understand  the  process  of  materializa- 
tion withdraw  from  the  physical  body  of  the  medium  all  the 
animal  magnetism  and  vital  energy  possible.  To  this  they  are 
able  to  add  a  sufficient  amount  of  attenuated  matter  drawn 
from  the  surrounding  elements  to  bring  the  whole  compound 
within  the  range  of  physical  vision.  With  this  magnetic  com- 
pound they  are  able  to  envelop  a  spiritual  form  and  thus  bring 
it  within  the  physkal  view  of  the  sitters.  This  constitutes 
what  is  known  as  "Materialization,"  as  it  is  usually  witnessed 
in  the  materializing  seance. 

There  is  another  process,  however,  entirely  free  from  sub- 
jective  conditions,  by  which  a  much  more  perfect  materializa- 
tion is  achieved.  This,  however,  has  nothing  to  do  with  me- 
diumship,  and  its  further  consideration  is  therefore  out  of 
place  at  this  time. 

Spiritual  controls  who  understand  materialization  are  also 
able  to  use  the  medium's  physical  body  as  a  "fashion  form," 
so  to  speak,  and  invest  it  with  this  materializing  substance  in 
such  manner  as  to  transfigure  or  transform  it  into  the  repre- 
sentation of  many  different  personalities.  This  sort  of  imper- 
sonation is  often  practiced  by  unscrupulous  spiritual  controls, 
who  find  it  less  difficult  than  complete  materialization. 

This  is  a  species  of  dishonesty,  however,  which  has  often 
resulted  in  great  embarrassment  to  the  medium,  as  well  as  to 
the  unscrupulous  controls  who  practice  this  species  of  decep- 
tion. It  has  resulted  in  the  "expose"  of  a  number  of  inno- 
cent mediums  and  cast  suspicion  upon  their  honesty,  as  well 
as  upon  the  authenticity  of  all  materializing  phenomena. 

3.  OBSESSION.  This  is  another  well  defined  form  of 
trance  control.  It  is  known  to  the  medical  profession  and  to 
the  public  in  general  as  insanity.  For  this  reason  it  will  be 
further  considered  under  the  general  head  of  insanity. 


SPIRITUAL  MEDIUMSHIP    159 

There  are  other  forms  of  trance  mediumship  which  might 
be  mentioned,  but  the  classes  here  designated  will  be  sufficient 
to  enable  the  intelligent  student  to  understand  the  principle 
underlying  them  all,  as  this  principle  will  be  hereinafter  de- 
veloped. 

V.  INDEPENDENT  SLATE  WRITING.     This  form  of  medi- 
umship is  of  a  composite  nature  and  therefore  does  not  fall 
entirely  under   any  one  of  the  general  classes  hereinbefore 
mentioned.     It  combines  the  elements  of  a  number  of  them. 

In  this  case  the  medium  may  be  either  conscious  or  uncon- 
scious, according  to  the  intelligence  of  the  spiritual  controls 
using  him.  Two  slates  are  bound  together  securely,  some- 
times with  a  small  piece  of  pencil  between  them,  but  quite 
frequently  without.  Sometimes  the  medium  touches  the  top  or 
edge  of  the  upper  slate  with  the  tips  of  his  fingers.  Other 
times  the  slates  are  left  untouched  by  anyone  until  the  mes- 
sage is  completed.  While  the  slates  thus  lie  in  full  view  of 
the  sitter  messages  are  written  upon  their  two  inside  sur- 
faces, or  upon  a  sheet  of  paper  where  paper  is  placed  between 
the  slates  before  binding  them  together. 

There  are  numerous  variations  upon  the  particular  method 
here  outlined,  but  these  variations  do  not  alter  the  essential 
process  employed  in  the  production  of  the  messages. 

VI.  TRUMPET  SPEAKING.     This  is  another  form  of  me- 
diumship which  does  not  fall  entirely  under  any  one  of  the 
general  classes  above  defined.    It  is  also  of  a  composite  nature, 
involving  elements  of  two  or  more  of  the  simpler  forms. 

In  this  character  of  mediumship  the  medium  and  the  sit- 
ters usually  sit  in  darkness  around  a  table  or  in  a  circle.  A 
speaking  trumpet  is  placed  upon  the  table  or  within  the  cir- 
cle for  the  use  of  the  controls.  When  the  conditions  are 
right  the  spiritual  intelligences  are  able  to  lift  this  trumpet 
from  the  table,  place  it  to  the  ear  of  a  sitter  and  whisper  or 
speak  audibly  through  it  so  that  the  sitter  may  hear  with  per- 
fect distinctness.  Much  doubt  has  been  expressed  by  scien- 
tific thinkers  as  to  the  possibility  of  this  sort  of  communica- 
tion. It  is  nevertheless  a  fact  that  genuine  communications 
are  thus  received  from  those  upon  the  spirit  side  of  life. 


160      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

VII.  SPIRITUAL  TATTOO  WRITING.  This  is  one  of  the 
most  interesting  and  unique  forms  of  mediumship  thus  far 
developed.  It  is  also,  perhaps,  about  the  only  one  for  which 
physical  scientists  have  thus  far  found  no  explanation  which  is 
entirely  satisfactory  to  themselves,  upon  a  purely  physical 
basis. 

The  medium  in  this  case,  with  rare  exceptions,  is  an  in- 
fant from  one  to  three  months  old.  The  process  employed  by 
the  controlling  spiritual  intelligences  acts  upon  the  circulatory 
system  of  the  medium,  and  to  this  extent  involves  a  control 
of  the  involuntary  functions  of  the  physical  body. 

By  this  control  of  the  circulation  of  the  medium  his  skin 
may  be  flushed  to  a  deep  scarlet  or  made  perfectly  white,  as 
the  blood  is  either  forced  to  the  surface  or  withdrawn  from 
it,  at  the  will  of  the  controlling  intelligences.  By  their  ability 
to  thus  control  the  circulation  of  the  medium  they  are  able 
to  outline  upon  its  body  scarlet  pictures  or  letters  upon  a 
white  background,  or  white  pictures  and  letters  upon  a  scarlet 
background,  with  great  facility. 

By  this  method  written  messages  »nay  oe  made  to  appear 
upon  the  surface  of  the  medium's  body.  Messages  of  this 
character  have  been  received  even  explaining  the  proc  s  by 
which  these  communications  are  transmitted.  This  form  of 
mediumship,  however,  is  rare. 

Other  methods  of  applying  mediumistic  control  in  the 
transmission  of  spiritual  messages  might  be  mentioned,  but 
for  the  most  part  they  are  but  variations  upon  those  here  out- 
lined. It  will,  indeed,  not  be  difficult,  in  the  light  of  the  fore- 
going illustrations,  to  understand  that  these  various  forms 
of  mediumship  may  be  combined  into  an  almost  unlimited 
number  of  composite  forms  and  variations. 

While  this  is  true,  it  will  nevertheless  be  found,  upon  care- 
ful examination,  that  the  principle  which  underlies  these  dis- 
tinct forms  of  mediumship  here  outlined  covers  the  entire 
field  of  mediumistic  control.  For  the  purpose  of  this  work, 
therefore,  it  would  seem  unnecessary  to  pursue  this  branch 
of  the  subject  further. 


THE  PRINCIPLE  INVOLVED  161 


CHAPTER   VI. 


THE  PRINCIPLE  INVOLVED. 

The  phenomena  of  mediumship  are  admitted. 

Mediumship  is  a  scientifically  demonstrated  fact. 

The  various  forms  of  mediumship  outlined  in  the  preced- 
ing chapter  are  also  facts  which  have  been  demonstrated  with 
absolute  certainty.  There  is  no  controversy,  therefore,  be- 
tween Natural  Science  and  Spiritualism,  in  so  far  as  the  ob- 
jective facts  of  mediumship  are  concerned. 

But  back  of  every  fact  of  Nature  there  is  a  principle  to 
which  that  fact  is  related,  and  to  which  it  must  be  referred 
for  its  proper  interpretation  and  meaning.  Back  of  medium- 
ship,  therefore,  is  a  principle  of  Nature  to  which  the  fact 
itself  must  be  referred.  Back  of  every  form  of  mediumship 
there  is,  with  equal  certainty,  a  governing  principle  which 
must  be  considered  before  science  is  justified  in  approving  or 
condemning  the  practice  of  mediumship  or  the  process  in- 
volved. 

Ethically  considered,  there  are  but  two  fundamental  prin- 
ciples in  Nature.  In  their  relation  to  individual  life  the  one 
is  constructive,  or  what  we  are  accustomed  to  regard,  as 
"normal,"  and  the  other  destructive,  or  "abnormal."  Every 
fact  of  Nature,  whether  scientific,  philosophic,  political,  re- 
ligious or  otherwise,  aligns  itself  as  a  direct  result  of  one  or 
the  other  of  these  two  fundamental  principles  in  operation. 

The  great  problem  of  individual  life,  therefore,  is  that  of 
identifying  these  two  principles  in  their  relation  to  the  ob- 
jective facts  of  Nature,  so  that  we  may  be  able  to  conform 
to  the  one  and  avoid  the  other.  The  degree  of  accuracy  we 
manifest  in  the  solution  of  this  problem,  and  in  conforming 
to  the  Constructive  Principle  of  Nature,  measures  the  po- 
tency and  value  of  individual  life. 

What,  then,  is  the  principle  at  the  foundation  of  medium- 
ship?  Is  it  hypnotic?  Does  it  involve  the  same  character  of 
subjection?  In  other  words,  is  the  process  constructive  or 
destructive? 


THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

Every  individual  who  is  in  search  of  knowledge  as  a 
means  of  individual  improvement  is  entitled  not  only  to  ask 
these  searching  questions,  but  also  to  demand  an  intelligent 
and  unequivocal  answer  from  whomsoever  is  in  position  to 
speak  with  authority  concerning  the  principle  involved. 

Upon  this  subject,  as  well  as  upon  that  of  hypnotism, 
Natural  Science  is  in  position  to  speak  with  absolute  scientific 
exactness  and  certainty.  Without  equivocation  or  mental 
reservation,  the  answer  to  each  of  these  pertinent  questions 
is  an  unqualified  affirmative.  Mediumship  is  hypnotic.  It 
involves  the  same  character  of  subjection  as  hypnotism.  The 
process  is  therefore  destructive.  These  facts  being  estab- 
lished, it  follows  with  irresistible  logic  that  the  mediumistic 
process  is  inimical  to  individual  life  and  to  the  well  being  of 
society  in  general 

But  the  simple  statement  of  a  scientifically  demonstrated 
fact,  unfortunately,  does  not  always  carry  conviction  to  the 
mind  of  the  layman  nor  to  that  of  the  student.  It  is  quite 
possible,  and  perhaps  probable,  that  among  the  great  multi- 
tude of  intelligent  people  who  call  themselves  Spiritualists 
there  may  be  those  who  will  question  the  accuracy  of  the  fore- 
going statements.  If  so,  there  is  but  one  ground  upon  which 
such  a  doubt  can  rest,  namely,  that  in  so  far  as.  these  par- 
ticular individuals  are  concerned,  the  alleged  facts  have  not 
been  personally  proved. 

In  all  candor  and  fairness  it  is  admitted  that  such  a  posi- 
tion is  not  entirely  unreasonable.  For  it  is  a  fact  which  every 
scientist  is  compelled  to  admit,  that  absolute  scientific  demon- 
stration can  be  made  in  but  two  ways,  viz. : 

1.  By  the  individual  himself. 

2.  By  some  one  else  in  his  presence,  under  such  condi- 
tions that  he  may  personally  witness  and  test  the  demonstra- 
tion. 

But  these  are  conditions  which  transcend  the  possibilities 
of  publication  in  any  form.  No  matter  how  many  or  how 
important  are  the  facts  a  writer  may  have  personally  demon- 
strated in  the  field  of  exact  science,  it  is  impossible  for  him 
to  re-demonstrate  them  to  the  world  by  mere  publication 


THE  PRINCIPLE  INVOLVED 163 

alone.  When  he  comes  to  the  task  of  conveying  his  knowl- 
edge to  another  in  this  form  he  finds  that  the  only  instru- 
ments at  his  command  are  his  pen,  ink,  paper  and  words. 
The  laboratory,  with  all  its  chemicals,  essences,  materials  and 
appliances,  must  be  put  aside.  All  the  instruments  of  actual 
demonstration  thereby  become  utterly  useless  in  this  branch 
of  his  work.  The  most  he  can  do,  and  all  that  he  can  do, 
is  to  state  the  demonstrated  facts  of  science,  as  far  as  he 
knows  them,  in  as  clear  and  unequivocal  terms  as  possible, 
and  thereby  shift  the  burden  of  responsibility  which  his 
knowledge  imposes  to  the  shoulders  of  his  readers. 

But  the  reader  occupies  a  very  different  position.  The 
problem  presented  to  him  does  not  deprive  him  of  his  power 
of  election.  It  is  entirely  competent  for  him  to  choose  his 
line  of  action  in  accordance  with  any  one  of  the  following 
propositions : 

1.  He  may  proceed  at  once  to  demonstrate  the  fact  for 
himself,  provided  the  time,  opportunity  and  facilities  for  so 
doing  are  at  his  command. 

2.  He  may  have  the  demonstration  made  for  him  by  one 
who  understands  the  principle  and  the  process  involved,  un- 
der such  conditions  as  shall  satisfy  the  demands  of  his  own 
intelligence,  and  thus  dissolve  his  doubts. 

3.  He  may  tentatively  accept  the  fact  stated,  upon  the  in- 
ternal evidences  of  its  truth,  without  actual  demonstration,  and 
shape  his  life  in  accordance  therewith  until  such  time  as  actual 
demonstration  may  be  accomplished. 

4.  He  may  reject  the  fact  entirely,  and  thereupon  suffer 
the  penalty  which  Nature  imposes  for  a  violation  of  the  prin- 
ciple which  lies  back  of  the  fact. 

The  problem  under  immediate  consideration,  therefore,  is 
that  of  stating  as  clearly  as  may  be  possible  the  fundamental 
principle  which  underlies  mediumship  and  the  mediumistic 
process.  This  has  already  been  done  in  the  briefest  possible 
manner.  It  would  therefore  be  entirely  admissible  to  rest  the 
case  upon  the  simple  and  unqualified  statement  of  facts,  and 
thereby  shift  the  burden  of  responsibility  upon  whomsoever 


THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

may  elect  to  deny  them.  This  is,  indeed,  the  course  inva- 
riably pursued  by  science,  and  it  is  entirely  just. 

But  the  purpose  of  this  particular  work  is  something  more 
than  that  of  the  cold  scientist.  The  desire  is  to  accomplish 
something  more  than  merely  to  state  the  facts  of  science.  It 
is  the  hope,  if  possible,  to  present  them  so  clearly,  so  ex- 
plicitly, so  earnestly,  and  withal  so  simply  as  to  command  the 
thoughtful  consideration  of  every  individual  whose  eyes  may 
chance  to  rest  upon  these  pages. 

It  is,  in  truth,  earnestly  desired  that  the  principle  which 
lies  back  of  the  facts  may  be  so  presented  as  not  only  to  chal- 
lenge attention  and  elicit  inquiry,  but  also  carry  conviction 
of  its  unqualified  verity  to  the  consciousness  of  every  one  who 
shall  follow  the  subject  to  its  legitimate  conclusion. 

To  that  end  attention  is  first  called  to  certain  significant 
facts  which  are  already  familiar  to  those  who  have  given  the 
subject  of  hypnotism  and  mediumship  more  than  passing  con- 
sideration, or  who  are  acquainted  with  the  literature  bearing 
upon  these  themes. 

Some  of  the  facts  here  referred  to  are  as  follows : 

1.  Hypnotism   involves   a   relationship   between   at   least 
two  individuals.     Mediumship  does  the  same  thing. 

2.  A  hypnotist  controls  the  will  and  voluntary  powers  of 
his  subject.     A  spiritual  control  does  the  same  thing  to  his 
medium. 

3.  In  the   development   of   hypnosis  the   subject    is    re- 
quired to  place  himself  in  a  negative  or  passive  condition  and 
surrender  himself  to  the  will  of  his  hypnotist.     The  medium 
is  required  to  do  the  same  thing  and  surrender  himself  to  the 
will  of  his  controls. 

4.  After  hypnotic  control  is  fully  established  the  subject 
becomes  a  mere  instrument  for  the  execution  of  the  hypnotist's 
will.     After  mediumship  has  been  fully  established  the  me- 
dium sustains  the  same  relation  to  his  control. 

5.  In   the  development  of  hypnotic  control   the  process 
becomes  easier  for  the  dominating  intelligence  (the  hypnotist) 
at  each  succeeding  subjection.     The  same  is  literally  true  in 
the  development  of  mediumship. 


THE  PRINCIPLE  INVOLVED 165 

6.  In  exact  ratio  as  a  hypnotist  gains  ease  and  facility  in 
the  establishment  of  hypnotic  control,  the  subject   loses  his 
own  power  of  resistance.     A  medium  loses  the  power  of  re- 
sistance to  the  will  of  his  controls  under  the  same  conditions 
and  in  exactly  the  same  ratio. 

7.  In  the  development  of  hypnotism,  where  the  sittings 
are  frequent  and  persistent,  a  point  is  soon  reached  where  all 
of  Nature's  barriers  for  the  protection  of  individual  intelli- 
gence are  swept  away,  and  the  subject  becomes  a  helpless  in- 
strument, bound  under  a  bondage  of  the  soul  by  an  irresist- 
ible bond  which  he  alone,  without  the  consent  and  co-opera- 
tion of  his  hypnotist,  can  never  break.    In  the  development  of 
mediumship  the  same  conditions  obtain  on  the  part  of  the 
medium. 

8.  As  far  as  the  phenomena  of  hypnotism  have  been  thus 
far  developed  they  are  identical  with  the  phenomena  of  medi- 
umship.    It  is  a  notable  fact,  however,  that  up  to  the  present 
time  mediumship  has  produced  a  greater  variety  of  phenom- 
ena than  hypnotism,  and  some  which  hypnotism  has  not  thus 
far  been  able  to  duplicate. 

9.  The  physiology  of  mediumship  is  found  to  be  identi- 
cal with  that  of  hypnotism.     The  action  of  the  mediumistic 
process  upon  the  three  brains  and  nervous  organism  of  the 
medium  is  identical  with  that  of  the  hypnotic  process  upon 
those  of  the  hypnotic  subject. 

(For  a  more  complete  exposition  of  this  branch  of  the 
subject,  see  Part  I,  Chapter  VII,  et  seq.} 

There  is  just  one  particular  and  one  only  in  which  medi- 
umship and  hypnotism  may  be  said  to  differ.  It  has  been 
scientifically  demonstrated,  however,  that  this  difference  per- 
tains only  to  the  method  of  establishing  the  relation  and  not 
to  the  process  involved  in  the  relation  after  it  has  been  once 
established.  The  importance  of  this  distinction  will  appear 
more  vividly  to  those  who  are  acquainted  with  the  essential 
difference  between  mesmerism  and  hypnotism. 

For  the  benefit  of  those  who  may  not  be  familiar  with  the 
subject  the  following  brief  explanation  will  be  of  value : 

i.     As  far  back  as  the  history  of  civilization  carries  the 


166      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

modern  intelligence  it  has  been  known  that  every  human, 
physical  organism  is  the  generator  of  a  subtle  fluid  which  has 
come  to  be  known  and  designated  as  "animal  magnetism." 

It  has  been  scientifically  demonstrated  that  this  magnetic 
fluid  is  susceptible  to  mental  domination  and  control  in.  its 
action.  Mesmerism  was  founded  upon  a  partial  understand- 
ing of  these  facts.  Mesmer  employed  animal  magnetism  as 
the  foundation  of  all  his  work.  He  made  it  the  basis  of  ob- 
taining control  of  his  subjects,  and  fully  believed  that  its 
action  was  in  some  way  intimately  connected  with  all  the 
phenomena  growing  out  of  the  relation  thereby  established. 
He  obtained  control  of  his  subjects  by  making  magnetic 
passes  over  them  from  the  head  downward,  and  at  the  same 
time  gazing  intently  in  their  eyes  until  the  mesmeric  sleep 
was  thus  induced. 

Mesmer,  however,  made  the  mistake  of  assuming  that  the 
somnambulic  sleep  cannot  be  induced  by  any  other  means  or 
methods. 

2.  Dr.  Braid,  who  adopted  the  term  "Hypnotism,"  de- 
monstrated that  the  somnambulic  sleep  may  be  induced  with- 
out the  use  of  magnetic  passes  or  other  means  that  supported 
the  magnetic  theory.  He  therefore  assumed  that  Mesmer 
was  wholly  in  error,  and  that  animal  magnetism  had  nothing 
to  do  with  the  process  under  any  circumstances  or  conditions 
whatever. 

And  here  Dr.  Braid  made  his  fundamental  error. 

Since  the  time  of  these  pioneers  in  the  field  of  psychical 
research  two  prominent  schools  have  grown  up,  each  of  which 
has  exercised  and  still  exercises  a  strong  influence  upon  the 
literature  of  the  subject.  Both  of  these  are  supposed  to  be 
schools  of  "Hypnotism,"  as  this  term  is  distinguished  from 
"Mesmerism."  Both  apparently  intend  to  employ  non- 
magnetic methods  and  processes  for  inducing  the  hypnotic 
state,  although  they  differ  very  radically  in  their  theories 
concerning  the  value  and  effect  of  "Suggestion"  in  the  hyp- 
notic process. 

One  of  these  two  schools  was  founded  by  Charcot,  and  is 


THE  PRINCIPLE  INVOLVED 167 

known  as  the  Paris  School.  The  other  was  founded  by  Lie- 
bault,  and  has  come  to  be  known  as  the  Nancy  School. 

The  single  point  of  importance  to  be  noted  here  is  the 
fact  that  mesmerism  involves  the  use  of  animal  magnetism  in 
the  process  of  obtaining  control  of  a  subject,  while  hypnotism 
(strictly  speaking)  does  not. 

Mediumship,  as  will  be  observed  from  what  follows,  is 
essentially  mesmeric,  in  that  animal  magnetism  constitutes  a 
strong  and  important  factor  in  the  process  of  obtaining  con- 
trol. It  is  in  this  particular  that  it  differs  from  hypnotism 
pure  and  simple,  as  the  latter  is  distinguished  from  mesmer- 
ism. The  one  is  magnetic  in  its  inception  and  the  other  is 
non-magnetic. 

It  must  not  be  understood  from  this,  however,  that  all  so- 
called  hypnotic  processes  (as  they  have  been  heretofore  known 
and  designated)  are  non-magnetic.  Indeed,  much  that  is  now 
known  as  hypnotic  is,  in  truth,  mesmeric.  The  reason  for  this 
confusion  will  be  readily  understood  in  the  light  of  the  fol- 
lowing illustration : 

An  operator  who  calls  himself  a  "hypnotist"  (and  who 
would  be  very  deeply  offended  with  the  designation  of  "mes- 
merist") assumes  that  there  is  no  such  thing  as  animal  mag- 
netism, and  that  "suggestion"  alone  is  at  the  foundation  of 
the  hypnotic  process.  Acting  upon  this  supposition,  he  pro- 
ceeds to  its  exemplification.  To  induce  the  hypnotic  sleep  he 
takes  his  subject  by  the  hand,  looks  him  squarely  in  the  eyes 
with  a  fixed  and  steady  gaze,  all  the  while  strongly  "suggest- 
ing" the  idea  of  sleep. 

Slowly  but  surely  the  subject  yields  to  the  superior  influ- 
ence and  is  finally  brought  under  complete  subjection  and 
control.  Perchance  the  operator  is  a  disciple  of  the  Nancy 
School  of  hypnotism.  If  so,  he  assumes,  and  therefore  al- 
leges, that  the  results  are  due  solely  to  the  power  of  "sug- 
gestion." And  in  this  assumption  lies  his  error.  For  it  is  a 
fact  that  those  who  are  in  position  to  study  the  action  of 
animal  magnetism  and  the  laws  which  control  it  know,  that 
the  eyes  and  the  hands  of  an  operator  are  Nature's  most  pow- 


108       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

crful  and  open  channels  for  the  transmission  of  the  magnetic 
fluid. 

Just  as  it  is  impossible  to  bring  the  positive  and  negative 
poles  of  a  magnetic  battery  together  without  thereby  generat- 
ing a  current  of  magnetism,  so  it  is  equally  impossible  for 
an  operator  who  is  in  a  positive  mental  attitude  to  lay  his 
hand  upon  a  subject  while  the  latter  is  in  a  negative  mental 
condition  without  thereby  transmitting  at  once  to  the  subject 
a  strong  current  of  animal  magnetism.  In  like  manner  it  is 
equally  impossible  for  one  who  is  mentally  active  to  -look  into 
the  eyes  of  one  who  is  mentally  passive  without  thereby  trans- 
mitting to  him  through  the  channel  of  the  eyes  a  strong  cur- 
rent of  animal  magnetism. 

In  other  words,  one  who  employs  either  hands  or  eyes  in 
the  process  of  inducing  the  somnambulic  sleep  or  the  sub- 
jective condition  is  in  truth  much  more  a  mesmerist  than  a 
hypnotist,  in  the  strict  meanings  of  those  terms. 

Natural  Science  is  therefore  in  position  to  declare  and 
does  so  declare  upon  the  basis  of  actual  demonstration  that  a 
fundamental  error  exists  in  the  assumption  of  the  Nancy 
School.  The  same  error,  in  a  slightly  different  form,  is  at 
the  basis  of  the  Paris  School.  .  For  this  reason  the  data  thus 
far  accumulated  by  the  various  schools  of  so-called  hypno- 
tism are  wholly  unreliable,  in  that  they  assume  to  entirely  ex- 
clude animal  magnetism  from  the  process  of  inducing  the 
state  known  to  them  as  hypnotic. 

Only  those  who  follow  literally  the  method  of  Dr.  Braid, 
and  employ  exclusively  mechanical  means  and  methods  of 
inducing  the  subjective  condition,  are  strictly  entitled  to  the 
designation  of  "Hypnotists"  in  the  sense  here  indicated, 
whereby  hypnotism  is  distinguished  from  mesmerism.  The 
Paris  School  undoubtedly  intends  to  do  this,  but  there  is 
much  evidence  to  show  that  this  intent  is  not  carried  out  in 
actual  practice. 

A  careful  analytical  study  of  the  subject  from  the  stand- 
point of  science  develops  the  following  interesting  and  sig- 
nificant facts: 

i.     As  far  as  hypnotism  goes  its  phenomena  are  identical 


169 


with  those  of  mesmerism.  But  the  phenomena  of  hypnotism 
(in  the  strict  sense  of  that  term  as  here  used)  are  limited  to 
a  narrower  range  than  are  those  of  mesmerism. 

2.  Mesmerism,  therefore,  includes  hypnotism  and  some- 
thing more.     There  are  certain  manifestations  which  writers 
are  wont  to  designate  as  "The  Higher    Phenomena" — such, 
for  instance,  as  clairvoyance,  clairaudience    and    telepathy — 
quite  common  to  mesmerism,  but  rarely  if  ever  the  results  of 
strictly  non-magnetic  hypnotism. 

3.  The   phenomena   of   mediumship    are    identical    with 
those  of  hypnotism,  as  far  as  hypnotism  goes.    They  are  also 
identical  with  those  of  mesmerism,  as  far  as  mesmerism  goes. 
But  mediumship  covers  a  distinctly  wider  range  of  phenom- 
ena than  both  hypnotism  and  mesmerism  combined.     For  in- 
stance, materialization,  trumpet  speaking,  tattoo  writing  and 
various  other  phenomena  are  common  to  mediumship,  but  en- 
tirely transcend  the  limitations  of  both  hypnotism  and  mes- 
merism. 

4.  Mediumship   is  therefore  hypnotism.     But  it  is  hyp- 
notism with   something  added.     It  is  also  mesmerism.     But 
it  is  mesmerism  with  something  added.    It  is  hypnotism  plus 
mesmerism  plus  something  else.   The  something  else  is  found 
by  science  to  be  the  action  of  independent,   spiritual  intelli- 
gences operating  from  the  spiritual  plane  of  activity. 

5.  The  results  of  these  three  schools  are  also  identical  in 
tso  far  as  the  relation  established  between  operator  and  sub- 
ject is  concerned.     That  is  to  say,  hypnotism  establishes  a  re- 
lation which  enables  the  hypnotist  to  control  the  will,  volun- 
tary powers  and  sensory  organism  of  his  subject,  within  cer- 
tain limitations.     Mesmerism  establishes  a  relation  (by  a  dif- 
ferent method  only),  which  enables  the  mesmerist  to  do  the 
same  thing.     Mediumship  establishes  a  relation  which  enables 
spiritual  intelligences  to  accomplish  precisely  the  same  results. 

6.  The  differences  in  the  range  and  variety  of  phenomena 
under  these  three  systems  are  due  entirely  to  the  varying  de- 
grees of  knowledge  on  the  part  of  the  operators  and  to  the 
facilities  at  their  command.   That  is  to  say,  the  mesmerist  who 
employs   animal   magnetism   intelligently   from    the    physical 


170      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

plane  is  in  possession  of  an  added  facility  for  the  production 
of  phenomena,  not  possessed  by  the  hypnotist  who  endeavors 
to  exclude  animal  magnetism  from  the  process.  The  spiritual 
intelligences  who  employ  both  animal  and  spiritual  magnet- 
ism possess  added  facilities  for  the  production  of  phenomena 
over  both  the  hypnotist  and  the  mesmerist.  Spiritual  intelli- 
gences work  intelligently  from  a  higher  plane  of  activity. 

A  broader  and  more  comprehensive  view*  of  this  subject 
may  be  obtained  from  a  critical  analysis  of  the  institution 
known  to  spiritualists  and  mediums  as  the  "Developing 
Circle."  The  importance  of  the  subject  is  such  that  a  brief 
study  of  the  mediumistic  process  from  this  standpoint  can- 
not fail  to  be  both  interesting  and  beneficial.  To  that  end 
the  following  illustration  is  here  presented : 

The  proper  number  of  individuals  organize  themselves 
into  what  is  known  as  a  "Developing  Circle"  for  the  purpose 
of  developing  into  mediums  as  many  of  their  number  as  may 
be  possible.  Assuming  that  they  are  under  the  guidance  and 
direction  of  spiritual  intelligences  who  are  familiar  with  the 
conduct  of  such  enterprises,  they  receive,  in  substance,  the 
following  specific  instructions  from  their  spiritual  guides: 

i.  Agree  upon  a  regular  evening  and  meet  as  often  as 
once  each  week,  always  on  the  same  evenings  of  the  week. 
Fix  a  definite  hour  for  sitting,  and  begin  each  sitting  promptly 
at  the  moment  agreed  upon.  If  you  ask  why  this  exceeding 
promptness,  it  is  only  necessary  to  remind  you  that  this  is  as 
much  for  our  benefit  as  it  is  for  yours.  We  who  are  upon 
the  spiritual  plane  are  as  busy  as  you  who  are  upon  the  phys- 
ical. We  have  duties  to  perform  and  obligations  to  discharge 
analogous  to  your  own.  The  performance  of  these  duties  and 
the  discharge  of  these  obligations  require  both  time  and  labor 
here  as  they  do  there.  We  upon  the  spiritual  plane  must 
therefore  accommodate  ourselves  to  these  sittings,  just  as  you 
upon  the  physical  plane  must  do.  In  order  that  we  may  so 
arrange  as  to  be  with  you  and  do  the  developing  work,  we 
must  know  in  advance  just  when  the  meetings  will  be  held, 
so  that  other  duties  and  obligations  may  not  interfere.  Inas- 
much as  we  do  all  the  work,  while  you  have  only  to  meet  and 


THE  PRINCIPLE  INVOLVED 171 

give  us  the  opportunity,  it  is  not  asking  too  much  to  insist  that 
you  meet  at  a  definite  and  regular  time  and  begin  your  sittings 
promptly  at  the  moment  agreed  upon,  so  as  to  consume  as 
little  of  our  time  unnecessarily  as  possible. 

2.  Select  a  definite  room  in  which  to  hold  your  sittings 
and  always  meet  in  the  same  room.     There  is  a  very  exact 
and  scientific  reason  for  this  instruction,   which,  briefly  ex- 
plained^  is  as  follows: 

Animal  magnetism  is  an  important  factor  in  the  develop- 
ment of  mediumship.  In  order  to  accomplish  rapid  results 
and  waste  neither  time  nor  energy,  the  room  in  which  the  sit- 
tings are  held  must  become  thoroughly  magnetized  with  the 
animal  magnetism  of  the  physical  sitters  and  the  spiritual 
magnetism  of  the  controlling  intelligences.  This  requires 
time.  The  first  six  or  seven  sittings  are  often  required  to  cre- 
ate a  sufficiently  strong  magnetic  atmosphere  in  which  to 
work  with  effect.  But  a  room  once  thoroughly  magnetized 
remains  charged  for  many  days.  If  the  sittings  are  held  in  a 
different  room  each  time  all  this  work  of  magnetization  is 
lost.  The  time  and  energy  necessary  for  the  actual  develop- 
ing work  must  be  spent  at  each  sitting  in  creating  a  new  mag- 
netic atmosphere  and.  environment.  Therefore  hold  your  sit- 
tings in  the  same  room. 

3.  Until  development  is  well  advanced  hold  all  your  sit- 
tings as  nearly  as  possible  in  absolute  darkness.     Why?    Be- 
cause the  development  of  mediumship  is  a  purely  negative 
process  on  the  part  of  the  medium.     Darkness  is  the  nega- 
tive pole  of  light.     It  is  a  necessary  part  of  the  environment 
and  condition  in  which  to  work  upon  a  "negative."    Just  as 
the  photographer  must  have  a  "dark  room"  in  which  to  "de- 
velop a  negative,"  so  must  we  have  a  "dark  room"  in  which 
to  "develop  our  negative"   (the  medium).     In  the  midst  of 
darkness  physical  vision  is  cut  off.     In*  proportion  as  the  ob- 
jective physical  world  is  removed  from  the  individual  con- 
sciousness the  mind  becomes  introspective  and  passive.     As 
the  mind  becomes  passive  the  whole  condition  of  the  indi- 
vidual becomes  negative.     The  object  of  the  sitter  should  be 
to  attain  as  nearly  as  possible  a  state  of  absolute  negation.    In 


172      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

so  doing  he  assists  to  "develop  a  negative"  instrument  for  the 
accomplishment  of  our  purposes.  Darkness  strongly  con- 
tributes to  that  end.  Therefore  sit  in  darkness. 

4.  Dismiss  from  your  thoughts,  while  you  sit,  every  dis- 
turbing suggestion,  and  bring  your  minds  into  as  perfect  ac- 
cord as  possible.    Nothing  contributes  to  this  result  more  than 
soft,  sweet  music.     Music  is  exclusively  a  vibratory  process. 
Those  who  sit  under  the  spell  of  the  same  music  are -.uncon- 
sciously brought  into  the  same  state  and  condition  of  vibratory 
activity  as  far  as  music  may  influence  them.     To  obtain  the 
most  powerful  results,  however,  the  sitters  should  never  be 
performers.     They  should  take  no  part  in  the  production  of 
the  music.     To  do  so  requires  a  certain  amount  of  thought 
and  effort  on  the  part  of  the  performer.     Both  thought  and 
effort  are   active  processes,  however,   and   are  therefore   in- 
imical to  the  negative  condition  necessary  to  the  development 
of   mediumistic   control.      For  these  reasons,   among  others, 
the  music  should  be  furnished  by  those  who  are  not  members 
of  the  developing  circle. 

5.  When  you  sit  arrange  yourselves  in  a  circle  in  such 
manner  that  those  of  you  who  are  of  the  negative  type  or  tend- 
ency shall  alternate  with  those  of  you  who  are  of  the  posi- 
tive type.     Sit  with  your  feet  slightly  separated  and  resting 
squarely  on  the  floor.     Join  your  hands  in  such  manner  that 
the  right  hand  of  each  sitter  shall  rest  upon  the  left  hand  of 
his  next  neighbor.    When  the  hands  are  so  joined  either  rest 
them  upon  your  knees  in  an  easy  position,  or  lay  them  upon  a 
circular  table,  whichever  you  prefer.     The  purpose  in  keeping 
the  feet  slightly  separated  is  to  throw  the  full  force  of  the 
current  through  the  hands  and  thence  into  the  brains  of  the 
sitters,  where  it  must  be  centered  and  employed  in  the  devel- 
oping process. 

6.  When  you  have  fully  conformed  to  all  these  instruc- 
tions then  sit  quietly,  resign  yourselves  to  us  without  fear, 
hostility,  doubt  or  protest  of  any  kind,  and  wait.    We  will  do 
the  rest.    But  we  cannot  develop  a  medium  at  a  single  sitting. 
Give  us  time.     Be  patient  and  wait.     Do  not  ask  questions. 
Do  not  even  think,  if  you  can  prevent  it,  but  simply  wait. 


THE  PRINCIPLE  INVOLVED 173 

Assuming  that  a  circle  has  been  completed  in  conformity 
to  these  instructions,  a  strong  current  of  animal  magnetism 
flows  from  hand  to  hand  of  the  sitters,  always  from  right  to 
left  about  the  circle.  The  law  of  magnetism  is  that  (except 
when  under  control  of  the  will)  it  flows  from  the  left  hand; 
that  is  to  say,  from  right  to  left  about  the  circle.  Scarcely  a 
circfe  is  ever  thus  formed,  but  one  or  more  of  the  sitters,  and 
oftentimes  all  of  them,  will  be  able  to  feel  the  magnetic  cur- 
rent with  perfect  distinctness. 

One  who  possesses  the  power  of  independent,  spiritual 
vision  is  able  under  these  conditions  to  observe  with  wonder- 
ful distinctness  the  strong,  luminous  current  of  magnetism  as 
it  courses  in  an  endless  chain  about  the  circle.  And  to  such 
an  one  the  following  most  interesting  phenomena  are  dis- 
tinctly apparent: 

This  current  of  magnetic  light  makes  a  complete  chain 
about  the  circle.  But  it  appears  to  make  the  physical  nerve 
centers  its  depots,  relay  stations  or  storehouses  of  energy. 
The  unbroken  stream  of  magnetic  light  passes  from  hand  to 
hand  and  thence  along  the  arm,  forming  a  great,  round,  lumi- 
nous cord.  From  each  armpit  this  luminous  rope  spreads  out 
into  a  fanlike  form  until  it  connects  with  the  central  nerve 
cord  of  the  spinal  column.  Thence  it  converges  at  the  base 
of  the  brain,  from  which  point  it  illumines  the  entire  skull 
with  an  intense  brilliancy.  Thus  each  head  in  the  circle  be- 
comes a  center  of  magnetic  energy  and  to  the  eye  of  the  in- 
dependent clairvoyant  appears  like  a  great  round  ball  of  radi- 
ating light. 

In  this  position  and  under  these  conditions  the  sitters  sur- 
render themselves  unreservedly  to  the  will  of  their  (to  them) 
invisible  controls  and  await  with  calm  complacency  the  re- 
sults of  the  "developing"  process. 

It  is  now  the  privilege  of  one  who  is  able  to  speak  from 
personal  observation  to  explain  this  "developing"  process  as 
it  is  conducted  by  spiritual  intelligences  who  are  known  and 
aptly  designated  as  "controls." 

The  "controlling  band" — as  they  designate  themselves  and 
are  familiarly  known  to  mediums  in  particular  and  to  spirit- 


174:       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

ualists  in  general — are  generally  under  the  guiding  direction 
and  supervision  of  some  one  intelligence  usually  selected  by 
them  from  among  their  number  for  that  purpose. 

When  the  sitters  are  in  proper  position  and  condition  for 
work  the  controlling  band  usually  arrange  themselves  in  a 
larger  circle,  enclosing  them  in  such  manner  that  the  joined 
hands  of  the  controls  rest  directly  upon  the  heads  of  the  sit- 
ters. In  this  position  their  hands  meet  at  the  several  maga- 
zines, or  depots  of  magnetic  energy,  immediately  over  the 
nerve  centers.  This  enables  the  spiritual  intelligences  to  vol- 
untarily control  and  manipulate  the  magnetic  current  with  the 
most  perfect  facility.  In  this  relation  they  are  able  to  center 
the  full  force  of  the  current  upon  any  one  of  the  sitters  they 
may  desire. 

They  now  proceed  to  their  preliminary  experimentation. 
The  directing  control  selects  from  the  sitters  the  individual 
who  appears  to  him  most  likely  to  become  an  easy  subject. 
He  directs  his  assistants  to  turn  the  magnetic  current  upon 
the  brain  of  this  particular  sitter,  in  such  manner  that  it  shall 
pass  through  the  three  brains  in  the  inverse  order  of  their 
evolutionary  development.  That  is  to  say,  the  current  is 
applied  to  the  sitter's  forehead  in  such  manner  as  to  pass 
directly  through  the  objective  organs  of  the  third  brain,  which 
lie  immediately  above  and  back  of  the  eyes.  Thence  it  is 
caused  to  sweep  backward  and  downward  through  the  second- 
ary and  primary  brains  in  the  order  named. 

The  exact  part  which  this  magnetic  current  plays  in  the 
controlling  process  depends  somewhat  upon  the  particular 
form  of  mediumship  sought  to  be  developed.  For  instance,  let 
it  be  supposed  that  the  experiment  is  for  the  purpose  of  devel- 
oping trance  control.  In  this  case  the  current  is  surcharged 
with  the  "suggestion"  of  submission  and  sleep.  If  the  sit- 
ter should* prove  to  be  a  tractable  subject  the  effect  upon  him 
will  soon  become  distinctly  apparent.  A  sense  of  drowsiness 
creeps  into  the  brain.  He  begins  to  lose  control  of  his  ob- 
jective faculties,  and  then  of  his  nervous  and  muscular  or- 
ganism. His  hands  and  arms  begin  to  quiver  and  tremble 
as  if  charged  with  a  strong  current  of  electricity.  In  many 


THE  PRINCIPLE  INVOLVED 175 

instances  violent  muscular  spasms  and  involuntary  contor- 
tions follow,  as  if  the  sitter  were  in  a  death  struggle  with  a 
powerful  and  merciless  enemy. 

This  is  due  to  the  resistance  which  Nature  interposes  as  a 
protecting  shield  between  every  individual  intelligence  and 
those  destructive  forces  with  which  individual  intelligence  is 
compelled  to  do  battle  in  its  struggle  for  an  independent  ex- 
istence. It  represents  the  natural  protest  of  individual  intelli- 
gence against  the  surrender  of  its  inalienable  right  and  power 
of  self-control.  Under  these  conditions,  however,  Nature's 
protecting  interposition  and  the  individual's  intelligent  pro- 
test are  alike  unavailing. 

Gradually  the  muscular  contortions  cease.  The  tension 
of  the  nervous  organism  relaxes.  The  head  falls  upon  the 
breast.  The  body  settles  into  a  reclining  position,  and  pro- 
found trance  ensues.  But  the  magnetic  current  is  still  per- 
mitted to  course  through  his  already  paralyzed  brain.  Upon 
this  vital  current  the  controlling  intelligence  is  able  to  ride 
into  the  inmost  consciousness  of  the  sleeping  subject,  as  it 
were,  and  there  voluntarily  assume  control  of  the  will,  volun- 
tary powers  and  sensory  organism  of  the  subject. 

This  relation  once  established,  the  imprisoned  soul  is  but 
an  automatic  instrument  under  the  will  of  the  intelligent  con- 
trol. By  and  through  this  control  over  the  will  and  voluntary 
powers  of  the  medium  a  spiritual  intelligence  is  able  to  use 
the  physical  body  of  the  medium  as  if  it  were  his  own.  Every 
impulse  of  his  will  is  executed  by  the  physical  organism  of 
the  medium  with  absolute  fidelity.  He  may  speak,  laugh,  sing 
or  cry  through  the  vocal  organs  of  the  medium,  or  write 
through  his  hand,  or  perform  any  other  act  he  may  desire,  by 
controlling  the  medium's  will  and  voluntary  powers. 

When  deep,  trance  control  has  been  once  established  it 
may  be  passed  from  one  spiritual  intelligence  to  another  with- 
out in  the  least  disturbing  the  trance  condition.  Even  those 
of  the  sitters  who  are  unable  to  witness  the  process  from 
the  plane  of  spiritual  vision  are  nevertheless  able  to  detect 
from  the  expression,  tone,  manner,  gesture  and  language  of 
the  medium  when  these  changes  occur.  A  single  medium  in 


ITS      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

this  condition  has  been  known  to  pass  under  the  successive 
control  of  more  than  a  hundred  different  spiritual  intelligences 
in  a  single  evening,  and  in  so  doing  clearly  identify  to  the 
sitters  that  number  of  distinct  and  recognizable  personalities. 
Hypnotists  who  understand  the  process  may,  in  like  manner, 
pass  the  control  of  their  subjects  from  one  operator  to  another 
without  disturbing  the  trance  condition. 

In  one  instance  which  came  under  the  personal  observa- 
tion of  the  writer  a  boy  of  six  years  was  the  medium.  During 
a  single  hour,  while  under  trance  control,  this  infant  spoke 
fluently  nine  distinct  and  different  languages,  with  eight  of 
which  he  was  unfamiliar,  and  six  of  which  he  had  never 
heard  spoken.  The  writer  was  the  only  person  out  of  the 
fourteen  present  on  that  occasion  who,  from  the  physical  side, 
was  able  to  observe  the  process  upon  the  spiritual  plane.  He 
desires  to  state  here,  for  what  it  may  be  worth  to  the  indi- 
vidual reader,  that  he  not  only  witnessed  this  process,  but 
that  in  every  instance  the  spiritual  control  thus  speaking 
through  the  medium  appeared  to  him  to  represent  the  nation- 
ality of  the  language  spoken,  with  one  exception,  and  that 
among  the  parties  present  on  the  physical  plane  but  four  dis- 
tinct nationalities  were  represented. 

In  order  that  his  position  shall  not  be  misunderstood  nor 
his  motives  misinterpreted,  the  writer  desires  to  state  at  this 
time,  in  the  most  explicit  terms  possible: 

That  he  is  not  a  medium. 

That  he  never  has  been  a  medium. 

That  he  never  has  been  hypnotized. 

That  he  never  has  been  mesmerized. 

That  he  never  has  been  a  subject  of  psychic  control  in  any 
form,  degree  or  manner  whatsoever. 

That  notwithstanding  these  facts  he  has  developed  the 
ability  to  exercise  his  spiritual  sensory  organism  independ- 
ently, self-consciously  and  voluntarily,  at  any  time. 

That  the  method  by  which  this  power  has  been  acquired 
and  the  process  involved  in  its  exercise  are  as  different  from 
those  of  mediumship,  mesmerism  and  hypnotism  as  the  prin- 


THE  PRINCIPLE  INVOLVED 177 

cipl.e  of  affirmation  is  different  from  that  of  negation,  or  as 
construction  is  different  from  destruction. 

That  under  competent  instruction  any  man  of  equal  in- 
telligence, courage  and  perseverance,  and  a  right  motive,  may 
accomplish  the  same  results,  provided  he  have  the  time,  oppor- 
tunity and  facilities  for  carrying  on  the  work. 

From  this  unreserved  statement  of  facts  it  will  be  ob- 
served that  the  declarations  hereinbefore  made  concerning  the 
subject  of  mediumship  are  not  mere  idle  fancies,  nor  ingenious 
theories,  nor  interesting  speculations,  nor  clever  beliefs,  nor 
doubtful  hypotheses,  nor  elaborate  arguments ;  but  the  re- 
sults of  a  definite,  personal  knowledge  of  the  facts  stated. 

Briefly  summarizing,  the  mediumistic  process  is,  for  all 
practical  purposes,  identical  with  that  of  mesmerism  and  hyp- 
notism, with  the  exceptions  noted.  This  process  is,  under  all 
conditions  and  circumstances,  a  subjective,  psychic  process. 
This  is  true  regardless  of  the  form  of  mediumship  established, 
the  character  of  phenomena  presented,  or  the  degree  of  con- 
trol exercised. 

The  principle  back  of  this  process  is  the  Destructive  Prin- 
ciple of  Nature  in  Individual  Life. 


178       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

CHAPTER   VII. 

AUTOMATIC,  PHYSICAL  MEDIUMSHIP"  IMPOSSIBLE. 

Mediumship  without  mental  domination  is  a  scientific  im- 
possibility. Those  who  comfort  themselves  with  any  hope, 
theory  or  belief  at  variance  with  this  fact  are  cruelly  deceived. 

It  is  well  known  in  advance  that  there  are  not  a  few  in- 
telligent individuals  who  hold  that  certain  forms  of  medium- 
ship  do  not  affect  the  mind  or  mental  faculties  and  powers  of 
the  medium  at  all.  Strange  as  it  may  appear,  many  of  these 
are  mediums. 

Let  it  be  distinctly  understood  that  no  question  is  here 
raised  as  to  the  perfect  honesty  and  good  faith  of  those  who 
have  heretofore  promulgated  such  a  theory.  It  is  respect- 
fully submitted,  however,  that  their  perfect  integrity  is  not 
sufficient  to  convert  an  erroneous  theory  into  a  fact  of  science. 
Neither  should  they  be  permitted,  out  of  mere  courtesy,  to 
substitute  such  a  theory  in  lieu  of  a  fact  which  science  has 
conclusively  demonstrated  times  almost  without  number.  To 
do  so  would  be  deliberately  to  reverse  the  process  by  which 
intellectual  development  and  moral  progress  are  "achieved. 
Who  does  this  turns  his  face  from  the  light  of  truth,  and 
of  his  own  free  choice  descends  from  the  mountain-side  of 
actual  knowledge  into  the  valley  and  the  shadow  of  ignor- 
ance, superstition  and  dogmatism.  But  this  is  not  the  order 
of  our  age. 

And  yet  the  honest  convictions  of  every  medium  are  en- 
titled to  respectful  consideration  in  all  matters  wherein  he  is 
an  interested  party.  It  is  also  true  that  no  one  is  more  vitally 
interested  in  the  mediumistic  process  than  the  medium  him- 
self. Inasmuch  as  he  alone  is  the  individual  most  deeply  and 
directly  concerned,  it  is  not  so  strange,  after  all,  that  he 
should  honestly  believe  himself  in  position  to  know  more 
about  the  facts  than  anyone  else. 

Just  here,  however,  is  perhaps  the  most  subtle  error  with 
which  science  has  to  deal. 

To  the  individual  who  is  not  entirely   familiar  with  the 


"  AUTOMATIC  MEDIUMSHIP  " 179 

exact  process  involved  in  mediumship,  the  medium  appears 
to  be  the  only  party  who  is  qualified  to  speak  with  absolute 
certainty;  that  is,  from  the  standpoint  of  personal  experience. 
The  great  world  of  unscientific  intelligence  would  undoubt- 
edly be  inclined  to  accept  this  as  a  self-evident  proposition. 
But  the  scientist  who  understands  both  the  principle  and  the 
process  back  of  mediumship  knows  that  the  medium,  of  all 
men,  is  the  individual  least  qualified  to  speak  with  certainty 
concerning  what  actually  occurs  during  the  time  he  is  sub- 
jected to  mediumistic  control. 

The  following  illustrations  cannot  fail  to  make  this  fact 
perfectly  apparent : 

I.  It  becomes  necessary  for  a  patient  to  undergo  an  op- 
eration for  appendicitis.  When  everything  is  in  readiness  he 
is  placed  upon  the  operating  table.  But  before  the  surgeon 
will  undertake  so  delicate  and  dangerous  an  operation  he  in- 
sists that  the  patient  submit  to  the  administration  of  the  usual 
physical  anaesthetic.  When  this  has  been  done  and  the  pa- 
tient's active  consciousness  is  safely  and  securely  locked  in 
the 'arms  of  Morpheus,  the  skillful  surgeon  takes  his  knife, 
cuts  his  way  to  the  seat  of  trouble  and  deftly  removes  the 
diseased  organ.  When  the  wound  has  been  properly  dressed 
the  patient  is  removed  and  the  surgeon  goes  his  way.  After 
the  effects  of  the  anaesthetic  have  been  dissipated  the  patient 
wakens  to  find  himself  snugly  tucked  away  in  bed  with  no- 
body present  but  the  nurse. 

To  all  objective  appearances  the  patient  has  been  through 
a  very  intense  "personal  experience."  And  herein  is  where 
the  casual  observer  who  is  unacquainted  with  the  nature  and 
effects  of  a  physical  anaesthetic  would  invariably  be  deceived 
by  objective  appearances.  Let  him  but  ask  the  patient  and 
he  will  find  that  this  was  not  a  "personal  experience"  at  all. 
The  patient,  in  fact,  was  wholly  unconscious  of  what  oc- 
curred, and  but  for  the  assurance  of  those  who  were  present 
and  consciously  witnessed  the  operation,  he  would  never  sus- 
pect that  he  had  been  deprived  of  that  seemingly  non-essen- 
tial organ  known  as  the  "appendix." 

But  suppose  the  anaesthetic  had  produced  only  partial  un- 


180      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

consciousness.  In  that  event  the  degree  of  his  consciousness 
would  measure  the  degree  to  which  he  might  be  able  to  ren- 
der an  accurate  account  of  what  occurred.  In  like  manner, 
the  degree  to  which  he  was  under  the  influence  of  anaesthetics 
would  measure  the  degree  to  which  he  would  be  unable  to 
render  an  accurate  report  of  what  occurred.  In  other  words, 
it  is  a  "personal  experience,"  to  the  degree  of  his  wakeful  con- 
sciousness, but  no  further.  To  the  degree  that  he  is  uncon- 
scious it  is  not  a  "personal  experience,"  and  to  this  degree 
his  statements  concerning  the  occurrence  are  without  value 
from  the  standpoint  of  science. 

Again,  suppose  that  instead  of  administering  a  physical 
anaesthetic  a  hypnotist  had  been  called  in  and  the  patient  had 
been  placed  under  hypnotic  control  in  a  state  of  deep,  lethargic 
trance,  and  the  operation  had  been  performed  under  these  con- 
ditions. The  results  would  have  been  identical  in  so  far  as 
the  consciousness  of  the  patient  is  concerned.  In  the  deep 
lethargic  condition  obtained  he  would  be  wholly  unconscious 
of  all  that  occurred.  In  this  event  if  he  should  assume  to 
report  upon  the  case  his  report  would  be  held  entirely  value- 
less for  all  scientific  purposes. 

On  the  other  hand,  if  he  were  partially  conscious  during 
the  progress  of  the  operation,  he  might  be  able  to  render  a 
partial  report  of  the  case  only.  The  degree  of  his  wakeful 
consciousness  would  determine  the  degree  to  which  it  was  in 
reality  a  "personal  experience"  to  him,  and  to  this  degree  only 
could  he  speak  with  assurance.  Strictly  speaking,  even  this 
would  give  to  his  report  greater  value  than  that  to  which  it  is 
properly  entitled;  for  it  is  a  fact  that  in  all  semi-conscious 
conditions  of  the  mind  the  imagination  is  more  or  less  active 
and  often  produces  upon  the  consciousness  impressions  even 
more  vivid  and  substantial  than  do  the  actual  passing  events 
themselves.  In  all  such  cases  the  individual  is  more  than 
likely  to  report  his  imaginings  as  actual  facts. 

In  other  words,  hypnotism  is  a  subjective,  psychic  process, 
and  it  has  been  scientifically  demonstrated  that  to  the  degree 
a  subject  is  under  control  of  his  hypnotist  he  is  unconscious 
of  what  occurs  as  a  result  of  the  hypnotic  process. 


"  AUTOMATIC  MEDIUMSHIP  " 181 

And  finally,  suppose  the  same  patient  had  been  operated 
on  while  under  trance  mediumistic  control.  The  results  would 
have  been  the  same  so  far  as  his  knowledge  of  passing-  events 
is  concerned. 

Mediumship  is  also  a  subjective,  psychic-  process.  To  the 
degree  a  medium  is  under  control  of  spiritual  intelligences  to 
precisely  that  degree  he  is  unconscious  of  that  control.  For 
the  same  reason  he  is  unconscious  of  the  process  involved 
in  the  mediumistic  relation  and  therefore  unable  to  report 
accurately  upon  it  from  the  standpoint  of  his  own  independ- 
ent intelligence. 

An  excellent  illustration  of  the  principle  under  considera- 
tion is  to  be  found  in  the  case  of  the  trance  speaking  medium. 
While  under  trance  control  he  will  speak  fluently  for  hours 
and  when  restored  to  consciousness  will  have  no  knowledge 
whatever  of  anything  he  has  said.  Every  investigator  of  this 
branch  of  the  subject  knows  with  what  eagerness  such  a  me- 
dium will  ask  the  sitters  to  repeat  to  him  all  that  has  been 
said  by  him  while  under  control,  and  how  it  all  appears  to 
come  to  him  as  entirely  new  matter. 

This  brings  us  to  the  question  over  which  so  many  intelli- 
gent students  have  stumbled,  namely :  Is  there  any  form  of 
mediumship  which  does  not  involve  mental  domination  and 
control?  In  other  words,  is  there  such  thing  as  purely  physi- 
cal mediumship? 

The  answer  to  both  these  questions  is  an  unqualified  nega- 
tive. There  are  no  such  forms  of  mediumship.  Whoever 
undertakes  by  a  personal  experience  to  demonstrate  that  such 
forms  of  mediumship  do  exist  will  find,  if  he  persists  long 
enough,  the  unhappy  verification  of  the  truth  here  declared. 
Many  have  already  done  so,  but  have  learned  the  truth  at  a 
cruel  and  needless  sacrifice,  after  it  was  too  late  to  guard 
themselves  from  the  inevitable  results. 

Perhaps  none  of  the  many  forms  of  mediumship  has  con- 
'tributed  more  to  the  popular  errors  concerning  this  subject 
than  that  known  as  the  "Ouija  Board,"  unless  perhaps  it  may 
be  the  "Planchette"  the  "Psychagraph,"  or  "Automatic  Writ- 
ing." Nor  is  this  to  be  wondered  at  when  the  facts  are 


182      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

known.  Indeed,  some  of  the  brightest  minds  of  both  this 
country  and  Europe  have  fallen  into  error  concerning  the 
principle  involved  in  these  seemingly  simple  and  harmless 
processes. 

But  inasmuch  as  the  facts  are  definitely  known,  it  would 
seem  possible  to  so  state  them  as  to  divest  the  subject  of  its 
mysticism  and  open  the  way  to  an  intelligent  understanding 
of  the  subject  from  its  purely  scientific  standpoint. 

For  this  purpose  a  brief  analytical  study  of  the  process  by 
which  so-called  "automatic  writing"  is  acomplished  will  be  of 
special  value. 

Under  this  form  of  mediumship  the  medium  places  a  pen- 
cil in  his  hand,  rests  his  hand  upon  a  slate  or  piece  of  paper 
in  position  to  write,  assumes  a  negative  or  passive  mental 
condition  or  attitude,  and  then  quietly  awaits  results.  He  is 
conscious  of  all  that  is  passing  about  him  upon  the  physical 
plane,  and  so  far  as  he  knows  is  in  full  possession  of  all  his 
mental  faculties  and  powers. 

But  while  he  thus  sits  with  his  mind  possibly  in  a  contem- 
plative mood,  perchance  thinking  of  some  subject  entirely 
foreign  to  that  of  the  mediumistic  process,  suddenly  his  hand 
begins  to  move.  To  his  surprise,  it  may  be,  he  observes  it 
write  sentence  after  sentence  upon  a  subject  matter  with 
which  he  is  entirely  unfamiliar.  At  first  the  process  appears 
to  be  slow  and  labored,  but  as  the  sitting  progresses  the  hand 
moves  with  greater  assurance  and  facility,  just  as  if  the  op- 
erator were  constantly  obtaining  better  control  of  the  instru- 
ment. 

In  the  case  of  a  beginner,  the  following  conditions  almost 
invariably  obtain : 

i.  The  medium  is  absolutely  positive  that  his  hand  moves 
automatically.  That  is  to  say,  he  is  not  conscious  that  its 
movements  are  in  the  slightest  degree  responsive  to  his  own 
volition. 

2..  He  has  no  conscious,  anticipatory  knowledge  of  what 
his  hand  is  going  to  write. 

3.     He  may  be  consciously  thinking  upon  a  subject  entirely 


"  AUTOMATIC  MEDIUMSHIP  " 183 

foreign  to  that  with  which  the  operating  intelligence  is  con- 
cerned. 

4.  The  message  written  by  his  hand  under  these  condi- 
tions may,  and  often  does,  contain  information  clearly  beyond 
the  range  of  his  conscious  intelligence  or  knowledge. 

All  these  facts  naturally  go  to  convince  him  that  what- 
ever the  process  may  be  it  is  one  which  does  not,  in  the  least, 
interfere  with  his  own  control  of  all  his  mental  faculties  and 
powers.  In  other  words  he,  is  ready  to  declare  that  his  mind 
is  entirely  free  from  domination  or  control  of  any  and  every 
kind.  And  from  the  standpoint  of  his  own  conscious,  per- 
sonal experience  his  conclusion  would  appear  to  be  entirely 
justified.  Herein,  however,  lies  the  subtle  error. 

It  must  not  be  forgotten  that  mediumship,  like  hypnotism, 
is  a  subjective,  psychic  process .  Its  primary,  motive  power 
is  the  soul  or  intelligence  of  the  dominating  control.  Those 
intelligent  acts  of  the  physical  organism  of  an  individual 
which  are  the  results  of  the  mediumistic  process,  are  but 
reflex  activities  resulting  from  the  action  of  one  mind  or  in- 
telligence upon  another. 

Nature  has  constituted  each  individual  intelligence  the 
motive  power  by  which  to  operate  the  voluntary  processes  of 
his  own  organism.  Through  this  motive  power  alone  can 
those  organs  of  the  physical  body  which  respond  to  the  will 
be  intelligently  set  in  motion.  The  intelligence  which  seeks 
to  control  the  movements  of  any  voluntary  organ  of  another 
intelligent  individual  can  do  so  only  by  controlling  the  motive 
power  by  which  its  owner  operates  it.  In  other  words,  the 
spiritual  intelligence  which  controls  the  hand  of  a  medium 
does  so  only  by  controlling  the  motive  power  by  which  the 
medium  himself  controls  it  when  acting  independently,  namely, 
the  will. 

But  the  medium  insists  that  such  action  of  the  hand  is  the 
result  of  a  purely  automatic,  physical  process.  He  does  this 
because  he  is  not  conscious  of  any  act  of  will  on  his  part. 
In  short,  he  maintains  that  it  is  impossible  for  him  to  act 
.voluntarily  without  being  conscious  that  the  act  performed  is 
responsive  to  his  own  will. 


184      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

It  is  just  here  that  the  mind  becomes  diverted  from  the 
real  principle  involved  in  the  mediumistic  process.  The- acts 
of  the  medium's  hand  in  what  is  known  as  automatic  writing, 
considered  from  the  standpoint  of  the  primary  impulse  which 
inspires  them,  are  not  the  results  of  his  own  volition.  On  the 
contrary,  they  are  the  results  of  an  outside  will  acting  upon 
his  own  and  through  this  channel  upon  the  nervous  organism 
which  controls  the  muscles  of  the  hand. 

The  primary,  volitional  impulse,  therefore,  is  that  of  the 
controlling  intelligence  and  not  that  of  the  medium.  This  is 
precisely  the  reason  the  medium  is  not  conscious  of  any  re- 
lation between  the  acts  of  his  hand  and  the  impulses  of  his 
own  will.  His  will  acts  automatically  under  the  impulse  of 
another  will.  And  because  its  action  is  automatic  he  is  un- 
conscious of  it. 

There  is  a  simple  experiment,  familiar  to  many  students 
of  psychology,  by  which  the  proposition  here  under  considera- 
tion may  be  fully  demonstrated.  For  illustration : 

Let  it  be  supposed  that  half  a  dozen  or  more  individuals 
have  met  for  the  purpose  of  experimentation.  They  select 
from  their  number  one  whom  we  will  designate  as  "A."  This 
individual  retires  from  the  room  and  beyond  the  range  of  sight 
or  hearing,  so  that  he  shall  have  no  knowledge  of  what  oc- 
curs during  his  absence.  Those  who  remain  agree  among 
themselves  that  upon  his  return  they  will  mentally  compel 
him  to  perform  some  specific  and  definite  physical  act;  say, 
for  instance,  that  of  placing  his  left  hand  squarely  upon  the 
top  of  his  own  head. 

When  all  is  agreed  upon,  A  is  brought  into  the  room  blind- 
folded so  that  he  shall  obtain  no  visible  suggestion  from  any- 
one as  to  the  act  agreed  upon.  He  is  asked  to  assume  a  nega- 
tive or  passive  condition  of  mind  and  offer  no  opposition  to 
whatever  impulses  may  move  him.  His  companions  thereupon 
form  a  circle  about  him  and  fix  their  minds  upon  his  own. 
They  center  all  the  power  of  their  combined  wills  upon  his 
own,  constantly  and  intently  willing  all  the  while  that  he 
shall  perform  the  particular  act  agreed  upon. 

In  every  instance,  where  the  conditions  are  right,  after  a 


"  AUTOMATIC  MEDIUMSHIP  " 185 

few  moments  of  silent  willing,  A  will  slowly  raise  his  left 
hand  and  lay  it  squarely  upon  his  own  head. 

The  most  interesting  part  of  this  experiment  is  in  the  fact 
that  when  asked  as  to  the  motive  or  impulse  which  prompted 
him  to  perform  that  particular  act,  he  will  almost  invariably 
say: 

1.  That  he  was  not  conscious  of  any  motive  or  impulse 
of  his  own  mind  or  will  whatever. 

2.  That  his  hand  appeared  to  him  to  move  of  its  own 
accord,  just  as  if  impelled  by  a  power  entirely  independent  of 
himself. 

If  it  were  not  for  the  prearranged  conditions  the  subject 
in  this  case  would  almost  invariably  insist,  just  as  the  medium 
does,  that  the  act  of  his  hand  was  purely  automatic,  and  that 
his  mind  and  will  were  absolutely  free  from  domination  or 
control  of  any  kind.  Nevertheless,  the  facts  are  all  against 
him,  for  here  is  a  purely  mental  process,  known  to  be  such  by 
all  the  parties  thereto.  Will  power  alone  was  the  force  em- 
ployed. Furthermore,  this  is  a  process  which  may  be  veri- 
fied in  many  different  ways  to  be  the  action  of  mind  upon 
mind. 

With  this  simple  illustration  clearly  in  mind,  it  now  be- 
comes possible  to  state  the  principle  more  clearly  in  the  fol- 
lowing terms: 

1.  In   proportion    as    the    will   of  the   medium   becomes 
subject   to  the   domination  and  control  of  outside,   spiritual 
intelligences  it  loses  the  power  of  self-control. 

2.  In  proportion  as  a  medium  loses  the  power  of  self-con- 
trol his  own  will  becomes  an  automatic  instrument  under  the 
domination  and  control  of  outside,  spiritual  intelligences. 

3.  In  proportion  as  the  will  of  a  medium  becomes  auto- 
matic in  its  action  under  the  domination  and  control  of  spirit- 
ual  intelligences,  the   medium   himself  becomes   unconscious 
of  the  relation  of  his  own  will  to  those  acts  which  are  the  re- 
sults of  the  automatic  process. 

In  other  words,  when  the  medium's  hand  writes  in  the 
manner  above  indicated,  it  is  his  will  that  acts  automatically, 
and  not  his  hand.  His  hand  acts  only  for  the  reason,  and 


186      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

to  the  extent,  that  his  will  responds  automatically  to  the  will 
of  his  spiritual  controls. 

The  hypnotic  subject  and  the  medium  are  alike  uncon- 
scious of  all  automatic  impulses  of  their  own  wills.  To  the 
medium,  therefore,  his  hand  seems  to  act  automatically  merely 
because  he  is  not  conscious  of  the  action  of  his  automatic  will 
to  which  it  responds.  It  appears  to  be  moved  by  an  outside, 
independent  impulse  or  force  merely  because  the  automatic 
action  of  his  own  will  does  not  translate  itself  to  his  conscious- 
ness at  all. 

At  this  point,  however,  the  following  question  obtrudes  it- 
self and  demands  an  intelligent  and  responsive  answer: 

If  it  be  true  that  the  hand  of  a  medium  cannot  be  moved 
by  psychic  process,  except  by  controlling  the  will  of  its  owner, 
how  is  it  possible  for  spiritual  controls  to  move  inanimate  ob- 
jects such  as  chairs,  tables,  and  various  other  articles  of  fur- 
niture which  have  no  will  to  be  controlled  or  acted  upon? 

To  one  who  is  not  entirely  familiar  with  the  nature,  action 
and  office  of  animal  magnetism  in  the  economy  of  the  human 
organism,  it  would  appear  that  this  question  is  unanswerable. 
But  to  one  who  fully  understands  the  subject  from  the  stand- 
point of  personal  demonstration  the  question  almost  answers 
itself. 

As  stated  in  a  previous  chapter,  every  living,  human  or- 
ganism is  a  natural  generator  of  animal  magnetism.  The 
magnetic  energy  thus  generated  by  it  is  under  the  domination 
and  control  of  the  will  of  the  owner  and  inhabitant  of  that 
organism.  Just  why  this  is  so  may,  perhaps,  never  be  fully 
understood  until  man  has  fathomed  the  action  and  the  pur- 
poses of  Creative  Intelligence.  All  that  is  known  concerning 
it  at  the  present  time  is  that  it  is  simply  a  fact  which  has  been 
often  demonstrated  with  scientific  certainty. 

This  magnetic  energy  is  an  important  factor  in  the  process 
by  and  through  which  the  will  of  every  intelligent,  living, 
human  being  maintains  and  exercises  control  over  the  volun- 
tary, nervous  and  muscular  organisms.  He  is  able  to  move 
his  own  hand  solely  because  of  his  ability  to  control  the  mag- 
netic forces  which  play  through  and  upon  it.  His  hand 


"  AUTOMATIC  MEDIUMSHIP  " 187 

moves  in  response  to  his  will  only  because  through  the  control 
of  his  own  magnetic  energy  he  is  able  to  register  the  impulses 
of  his  will  upon  the  nervous  organism  which  operates  the 
muscles  of  the  hand. 

He  is  unable  to  control  the  action  of  the  muscular  organism 
of  another  individual's  hand  (by  purely  mental  processes) 
only  because  he  cannot  control  the  magnetic  forces  which  play 
through  and  upon  it.  And  he  is  unable  to  control  these  mag- 
netic forces  only  because  they  are  already,  by  the  immutable 
decree  of  nature,  under  the  control  of  another  will  than  his, 
namely,  the  will  of  the  owner  of  the  organism  which  generates 
them. 

When  spiritual  intelligences  undertake  to  control  the  hand 
of  a  human  being  they  find  that  the  only  process  by  which 
this  can  be  done  is  by 'controlling  the  magnetic  forces  of  that 
individual's  physical  organism.  But  nature,  without  consult- 
ing mankind,  has  given  to  each  and  every  intelligent  individ- 
ual, dominion  and  power  over  the  magnetic  forces  of  his  own 
physical  body.  They  must  therefore  divest  him  of  that  power 
before  they  can  apply  it  to  the  control  of  his  hand,  or  that 
of  any  other  organ  under  his  voluntary  control.  This  can  be 
accomplished  only  by  controlling  that  in  the  individual  which 
has  dominion  and  power  over  his  magnetic  forces,  namely, 
his  will. 

In  the  case  of  inanimate  objects,  such  as  chairs  and  tables, 
there  is  no  internal  will  to  be  considered,  and  nothing  inter- 
nal to  be  overcome  and  conquered.  In  other  words,  there 
is  nothing  to  interfere  with  the  direct  application  of  the  mag- 
netic energy  of  the  medium  to  the  object  from  without. 
There  are  no  natural  barriers  to  be  overcome  save  those  in- 
volved in  making  the  necessary  magnetic  conditions. 

The  following  illustration  of  an  oft  repeated  demonstra- 
tion will  serve  to  emphasize  the  principle  under  consideration : 

When  magnetic  conditions  have  been  established  which 
enable  the  controlling,  spiritual  intelligences  to  move  a  table, 
let  a  two  hundred  pound  man,  who  is  not  a  medium  nor  in 
the'  least  mediumistically  inclined,  stand  upon  it.  Then  ask 
the  spiritual  intelligences  to  lift  both  the  table  and  the  man,  if 


188      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

possible.  It  will  be  found  that  the  table  with  its  two  hundred 
pound  weight  upon  it  will  rise  from  the  floor  with  as  much 
apparent  ease  and  facility  as  if  the  table  alone  were  being 
lifted. 

After  this  has  been  done  then  ask  the  controlling  intelli- 
gences to  lift  the  man  alone  without  the  table.  It  will  be 
found  that  they  cannot  move  him  in  the  least,  nor  will  he  be 
able  to  feel  the  slightest  impulse  of  force  applied  to  him. 

Now  let  the  same  individual  sit  at  the  same  table.  Place 
a  small  pencil  in  his  hand  and  then  ask  the  spiritual  intelli- 
gences to  use  his  hand  in  the  writing  of  a  message.  It  will 
be  found  that  they  are  entirely  unable  to  move  his  hand  or  a 
single  muscle  of  it,  even  though  they  are  able  to  move  the 
table  under  it  weighing  many  times  as  much. 

Now  let  him  lay  the  pencil  down  and  then  ask  the  con- 
trolling intelligences  to  use  it  alone  in  the  writing  of  the  mes^ 
sage.  Instantly  the  pencil  will  get  up  in  obedience  to  the  re- 
quest and  proceed  to  the  acomplishment  of  its  task  with  per- 
fect apparent  ease  and  facility. 

Again  the  question  presents  itself :  Why  can  the  spiritual 
intelligences  lift  the  table  with  a  two  hundred  pound  man  on 
it,  when  they  cannot  lift  the  man  alone  whose  weight  is 
much  less?  The  answer  will  now  appear  comparatively  sim- 
ple. It  is  because  they  are  able  to  apply  the  magnetic  forces 
of  the  medium  upon  which  they  must  depend,  to  the  inani- 
mate substance  of  the  table  without  having  first  to  overcome 
an  intelligent  and  independent  will  within  it.  But  the  human 
body  is  completely  insulated,  as  it  were,  with  an  aura  of  ani- 
mal magnetism  which  is  under  the  control  of  its  owner  and  in- 
habitant (so  long  as  he  is  not  under  mental  domination  and 
control),  while  this  is  not  the  case  with  the  body  of  the  table. 

Why  can  they  not  lift  the  non-mediumistic  man  alone? 

The  answer  to  this  question  also  is  now  simplified.  It  is 
because  he  alone  is  master  of  the  magnetic  forces  which  act 
through  and  upon  his  own  physical  body.  In  order  to  turn 
these  forces  back  upon  him  in  such  manner  as  to  apply  them  to 
the  lifting  of  his  physical  body  they  must  first  neutralize  his 
own  control  over  them.  But  they  cannot  control  these  forces 


"AUTOMATIC  MEDIUMSHIP"  189 

except  by  controlling  that  within  him  which  has  dominion 
and  power  over  them,  namely,  his  will.  But  he  is  not  a  me- 
dium, nor  subject  to  mediumistic  subjection  or  control.  They, 
therefore,  cannot  control  his  will.  Hence  they  cannot  control 
his  magnetic  forces.  Hence  they  cannot  lift  his  body. 

For  the  same  reason  they  cannot  move  his  hand  with  the 
pencil  in  it,  while  they  can  easily  move  the  pencil  alone.  To 
move  the  hand  they  must  be  able  to  control  the  magnetic 
forces  which  play  through  and  upon  it.  To  do  this,  however, 
they  must  control  that  within  him  which  controls  these 
forces,  namely,  his  will.  But  he  is  not  a  medium.  There- 
fore they  cannot  control  his  will.  Hence  they  cannot  move 
his  hand. 

Again  :  Try  these  same  experiments,  substituting  one  of 
the  mediums  present  in  place  of  the  non-mediumistic  man. 
It  will  be  found  that  the  spiritual  intelligences  can  lift  the 
table  and  the  medium  together,  or  they  can  lift  the  medium 
alone.  They  can  move  the  medium's  hand  with  the  pencil 
in  it,  or  they  can  move  the  pencil  alone. 

This  is  only  because  they  are  able  to  control  the  will  of 
the  medium  and  through  this  the  magnetic  forces  and  ener- 
gies of  his  body.  These  forces,  once  under  control  by  them, 
may  be  applied  to  the  hand  of  the  medium  or  to  an  inanimate 
object  with  equal  effect.  And  so  it  is,  that  even  the  moving 
of  a  table  by  psychic  means  involves  the  control  of  some  in- 
telligent individual's  will  to  such  a  degree  that  his  magnetic 
forces  and  energies  may  be  diverted  to  that  end. 

Experiments  of  a  similar  nature  almost  without  number 
have  been  made.  And  every  experiment  along  these  lines 
only  serves  to  emphasize  the  fact  that  there  is  no  such  thing 
as  automatic,  physical  mediumship.  In  other  words,  there  is 
no  form  of  mediumship  which  does  not  act  upon  the  mind  of 
the  medium  to  a  greater  or  less  degree.  Those  who  are  now 
or  have  been  cultivating  any  of  these  supposedly  automatic 
processes,  will  be  interested  to  know  that  there  are  certain 
other  familiar  facts  which  are  both  pertinent  and  full  of  grave 
significance  in  this  connection. 

For  illustration :     There  is  not  an  instance  on  record  where 


190      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

a  medium  has  pursued  this  line  of  investigation  and  practice 
regularly  and  persistently  without  sooner  or  later  coming  to 
know  for  himself  that  the  process  is  one  which  does  act  upon 
the  mind.  Those  who,  at  the  beginning  of  their  investiga- 
tions, have  most  vehemently  protested  against  the  fact,  have 
been  among  the  first  to  demonstrate  its  truth.  These  demon- 
strations, to  be  sure,  have  in  most  instances  been  of  a  most 
unhappy  nature,  but  none  the  less  absolute  and  convincing  on 
that  acount. 

By  way  of  illustration,  the  writer  desires  to  narrate  briefly 
in  this  connection  a  few  of  the  many  incidents  of  a  similar  na- 
ture which  have  come  under  his  personal  observation.  Some 
of  these  have  touched  very  closely  the  inner  circle  of  his 
closest  personal  friendships,  and  for  this  reason  the  names  of 
the  parties  herein  referred  to  will  be  omitted.  The  particular 
incidents  to  which  reference  is  here  made  are  as  follows : 

i.  In  a  small  town  somewhat  west  of  the  city  of  Chicago, 

a  few  years  ago,  lived  a  family  by  the  name  of  C .  This 

family  consisted  of  father,  mother  and  only  son.  The  father 
was  near  sixty  years  of  age,  the  mother  perhaps  four  years 
younger,  and  the  son  twenty-seven.  They  were  an  intelli- 
gent and  unusually  happy  family,  bound  together  by  the 
closest  ties  of  affection.  They  were  all  consistent  and  hon- 
ored members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  active 
workers  in  the  cause  of  religion,  although  by  no  means  of  the 
emotional  or  hysterical  type. 

The  son,  who  had  been  the  life  and  the  idol  of  the  home, 
was  suddenly  stricken  with  fever  and  after  a  short  illness 
died.  This  came  as  a  heavy  blow  to  the  father  and  mother 
who  remained  to  mourn  his  loss.  They  were  indeed  discon- 
solate in  their  loneliness  and  grief.  Even  their  religion  seemed 
to  have  lost  its  meaning  in  the  presence  of  such  a  sorrow. 

It  so  happened  that  among  their  nearest  neighbors  was  a 
family  of  spiritualists  at  whose  home  seances  and  circles  were 
often  held.  Under  these  conditions.it  will,  perhaps,  not  ap- 
pear strange  that  the  bereaved  father  and  mother  seemed  to 
forget  the  dogmas  and  conventionalities  of  their  church  and 
turned,  for  the  time  being,  to  spiritualism  in  the  hope  of  there 


"  AUTOMATIC  MEDIUMSHIP  " 191 

finding  a  way  of  bridging  the  gulf  between  them  and  their 
boy. 

Here  it  was  that  they  learned  something  of  the  various 
forms  of  mediumship.  Here  they  learned  of  the  "Ouija 
Board."  Here  it  was  that  through  this  simple  instrument 
they  learned  to  believe  that  their  son  was  with  them  daily  and 
only  waiting  to  talk  witk  them  as  often  as  they  would  give 
him  the  opportunity. 

The  Ouija  Board  appealed  to  them  because  it  appeared 
to  be  so  simple  and  so  entirely  harmless.  The  process  ap- 
peared to  them  to  be  one  which  in  no  way  affected  the  mind 
or  intelligence  of  the  medium.  Not  yet  feeling  that  they  cared 
to  be  known  as  spiritualists,  they  determined  to  carry  on  their 
further  investigations  alone.  To  carry  out  this  idea  they  ob- 
tained an  Ouija  of  their  own,  and  began  a  series  of  sittings 
at  their  own  home  where  they  could  carry  on  the  investiga- 
tion without  embarrassments  of  any  kind. 

Their  efforts  were  rewarded  with  immediate  success,  for 
at  the  first  sitting  the  instrument  worked  quite  freely  and  with 
results  which,  to  them,  were  far  beyond  their  most  sanguine 
expectations.  Messages  of  affectionate  greeting,  of  assur- 
ance, admonition  and  instruction,  were  received,  from  which 
they  seemed  to  recognize  the  identity  of  their  son's  intelli- 
gence, and  naturally  they  were  very  happy. 

The  writer,  being  a  personal  friend  of  the  family,  inci- 
dentally learned  of  these  proceedings,  and,  anticipating  the 
results,  made  an  effort  to  dissuade  them  from  further  sittings 
and  investigations  along  this  particular  line.  With  that  pur- 
pose in  mind  he  endeavored  to  present  to  them  the  facts  and 
principles  involved  in  the  process  by  which  the  Ouija  Board 
is  operated.  Nothing,  however,  could  convince  them  that  the 
process,  whatever  it  might  be,  was  in  the  least  injurious,  or 
that  it  acted  upon  the  mind  in  the  slightest  possible  degree, 
or  that  it  could  under  any  circumstances  involve  dangerous, 
disastrous  or  unhappy  results. 

To  every  such  statement  or  suggestion  they  replied  by 
simply  quoting  their  own  personal  experiences.  Who  could 
doubt  these  ?  They  spoke  for  themselves.  No  harm  had  thus 


192       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

far  been  done.  Their  minds  were  entirely  free  from  all  dom- 
ination or  control.  If  the  process  were  one  which  acted 
upon  the  mind,  who  should  know  that  fact  so  quickly  and  so 
surely  as  they?  Since  they  could  not  feel  the  slightest  mental 
influence,  this,  to  them,  was  conclusive  evidence  that  none 
existed  and  that  the  process  was  indeed  what  it  appeared  to 
be,  a  purely  automatic,  physical  process. 

But  time  passed.  As  anticipated,  in  the  course  of  a  few 
short  weeks,  sitting  an  hour  each  evening,  they  both  found 
that  they  could  begin  to  anticipate  the  messages  mentally,  in 
advance  of  the  Ouija.  This  was,  to  them,  a  great  triumph, 
for  it  indicated  that  in  a  very  short  time  they  would  be  able 
to  dispense  with  the  clumsy  instrument  and  communicate 
freely  and  directly  by  mental  processes  alone.  And  in  this 
they  were  not  deceived,  as  the  sequel  will  show. 

Within  a  few  days  thereafter  Mr.  C began  to  hear 

voices  very  distinctly.  His  wife  developed  the  same  experi- 
ence a  few  days  later.  From  that  time  forward  rest  and 
peace  vanished  from  their  earthly  home  forever.  These 
voices  continued  to  talk  to  them  at  all  hours  of  both  day  and 
night.  When  one  ceased  another  took  up  the  strain  and  con- 
tinued until  superseded  by  others  still.  Life  became  a  torture. 
Neither  rest  nor  sleep  was  possible  for  a  moment. 

Then  it  was  that  the  awful  truth  dawned  upon  them. 
The  seemingly  innocent  and  harmless  process  of  the  Ouija 
Board  was,  after  all,  a  process  which  opens  the  way  to  the 
enslavement  of  the  soul.  It  had  opened  a  door  which  they 
knew  not  how  to  close  again.  They  had  become  helpless  vic- 
tims of  their  own  ignorance  and  folly. 

That  which  had  meant  to  them  the  realization  of  their 
fondest  and  happiest  dreams  had  now  become  a  torturing 
menace  to  health,  to  reason  and  to  life  itself.  The  voices 
which  at  first  had  been  loving  and  tender  and  sweet,  and  full 
of  comfort,  encouragement  and  hope,  now  filled  their  ears 
with  nothing  but  the  most  vicious,  profane,  vulgar  and  vile 
epithets  known  to  the  English  language.  Every  attempt  to 
silence  them  or  to  shut  them  out  or  drive  them  away  only  in- 


"  AUTOMATIC  MEDIUMSHIP  " 193 

creased  the  torrent  of  verbal  filth  beyond  the  limits  of  human 
language  to  express. 

When  they  could  bear  the  strain  no  longer  Mr.  C 

consulted  the  family  physician.  He  was  promptly  pronounced 
insane  and  was  immediately  committed  to  the  state  insane 
asylum,  where  he  died  inside  of  eight  months  from  the  date 
of  his  first  sitting  with  the  innocent  and  harmless  Ouija 
Board. 

The  wife  lived  but  a  few  months  longer  and  died  an  in- 
mate of  the  same  asylum. 

Had  the  attending  physician  correctly  diagnosed  these 
cases  and  then  applied  a  natural  remedy  (for  there  are  such 
remedies  within  the  limits  of  materia  medica)  these  poor,  un- 
fortunate sufferers  would  have  been  relieved  with  absolute 
certainty.  They  were  not  insane. 

2.  During  the  year  1897,  and  for  several  years  prior 
thereto,  the  writer  was  closely  associated  with  one  of  the 
leading  business  men  of  Chicago,  who,  for  the  purposes  of 
this  narrative,  will  be  referred  to  as  Mr.  F. 

This  gentleman's  father  had  been  a  prominent  figure  and 
influence  in  the  rebuilding  of  the  city  after  the  great  fire,  and 
was  for  a  number  of  years  one  of  its  prominent  judicial  offi- 
cers. He  was  undoubtedly  a  man  of  superior  intelligence  and 
moral  character.  The  son  was  deeply  attached  to  him  by  an 
affection  which  was  as  admirable  as  it  is  rare  among  men  of 
strong  individuality. 

But  the  father  died.  His  death,  coming  as  it  did  without 
warning,  was  a  great  shock  to  the  son.  This  event,  perhaps, 
more  than  any  other  in  all  his  experience  up  to  this  time,  led 
Mr.  F.,  the  son,  to  seriously  contemplate  the  question  of 
death  and  the  problem  of  a  life  beyond  the  grave.  Although 
a  thorough  skeptic  concerning  the  question  of  a  future  life, 
he  nevertheless  followed  the  course  pursued  by  so  many  oth- 
ers whom  death  has  separated  from  loved  ones,  and  began 
an  investigation  of  spiritualism  and  mediumship. 

After  the  usual  experiences  of  the  intelligent  investigator, 
he  succeeded  in  convincing  himself  that  any  form  of  medium- 
ship  which  affects  the  mind  of  the  medium  or  subjects  his 


194      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

mental  faculties  and  powers  to  the  domination  and  control  of 
outside  intelligences  is,  to  say  the  least,  undesirable.  He  could 
not  harmonize  this  idea  of  mental  domination  and  control 
with  those  of  independence  and  individual  responsibility.  He 
therefore  consistently  refused  to  sit  for  development  along 
these  lines. 

But  in  the  course  of  his  investigations  he  learned  to  know 
something  of  the  Ouija  Board.  After  studying  its  action 
as  best  he  could,  he  finally  became  convinced  that  the  process 
is  purely  physical  and  entirely  automatic.  Having  reached 
this  conclusion  he  at  once  began  a  series  of  sittings  with  the 
instrument,  and  to  his  great  satisfaction,  found  that  it  would 
write  for  him  quite  readily.  Through  this  process  he  was 
soon  convinced  that  he  was  in  direct  touch  and  communica- 
tion with  his  father.  This  was,  for  the  time  being,  a  great 
comfort  to  him. 

But  one  evening  during  the  progress  of  these  sittings, 
after  having  received  a  number  of  messages  purporting  to 
come  from  his  father  and  other  intelligences  he  had  come  to 
know  by  other  names,  his  sister,  who  usually  sat  with  him, 
was  called  away  for  a  moment  and  left  him  sitting  alone  with 
his  hand  upon  the  Ouija.  Suddenly,  and  without  an  instant's 
warning,  a  great,  horrifying  wave  of  mysterious  influence 
swept  over  him.  So  intense,  so  horrible,  and  yet  so  irresisti- 
ble was  it  that  he  found  himself  rapidly  sinking  into  a  state 
of  unconsciousness. 

Dimly  realizing  that  he  was  under  the  spell  of  some  evil 
influence,  he  summoned  all  his  powers  of  resistance  and  by 
one  mighty  effort  succeeded  in  throwing  the  Ouija  across  the 
room  and  springing  to  his  feet.  For  the  instant  this  act  ap- 
peared to  free  him  from  the  dreadful  influence  and  he  began 
rapidly  walking  the  floor.  But  soon  thereafter  the  same  ex- 
perience was  repeated.  As  he  walked  he  felt  himself  again 
slipping  from  his  mental  moorings  into  a  state  of  unconscious- 
ness. By  another  heroic  effort  he  succeeded  in  again  throw- 
ing off  the  spell  for  a  little  time. 

By  this  time  he  was  fully  aware  that,  whatever  the  process 
employed  might  be,  it  was  an  attempt  on  the  part  of  some  evil 


"  AUTOMATIC  MEDIUMSHIP  " 195 

influence  to  obtain  complete  control  of  his  intelligence.  Seiz- 
ing his  hat  he  rushed  from  the  room  and  into  the  street,  hop- 
ing thereby  to  break  the  line  of  connection  which  had  enabled 
such  an  influence  to  approach  him.  This  also  failed.  Again 
and  again  the  attack  was  renewed.  Fortunately,  however, 
he  is  a  man  of  strong  will  and  splendid  courage,  and  although 
many  times  carried  almost  to  the  verge  of  complete  uncon- 
sciousness, he  continued  to  defend  himself  with  all  the  power 
and  intelligence  at  his  command. 

It  was  indeed  a  battle  royal  while  it  lasted  and  Mr.  F. 
finally  triumphed.  But  the  disastrous  effects  were  plainly 
visible  in  every  lineament  of  his  features  when  he  appeared 
at  the  office  ready  for  work  the  following  day. 

Fortunately  for  Mr.  F.  this  experience  proved  of  great 
value.  It  completely  shattered  all  his  theories  concerning  the 
process  involved  in  the  operation  of  the  Ouija  Board,  and 
cured  him  of  all  desire  to  experiment  further  along  that  line. 
So  far  as  the  writer  knows  he  has  entirely  abandoned  all  sub- 
jective methods  of  inquiry  and  accepted  his  experience  at  its 
true  value. 

But  the  sequel  of  this  incident  is  of  peculiar  interest.  It 
has  been  ascertained  since  that  this  vicious  and  determined  at- 
tack was  made  by  one  who,  in  physical  life,  had  conceived  the 
idea  that  Mr.  F.  was  responsible  for  some  fancied  injury 
which  had  never  been  condoned.  The  attack,  therefore,  was 
made  in  the  spirit  of  revenge,  and  had  it  been  entirely  success- 
ful would  have  sent  its  victim  to  the  state  insane  asylum,  where 
he  would,  in  all  human  probability,  have  spent  the  balance  of 
his  life. 

This  one  experience  of  itself  is  full  of  valuable  suggestions, 
and  to  those  who  are  not  hopelessly  bound  in  the  chains  of 
mental  slavery  it  contains  many  important  lessons. 

Other  experiences  of  a  similar  nature,  almost  without 
number,  might  be  presented  covering  every  phase  of  so-called 
automatic,  physical  mediumship.  But  these  would  merely 
serve  as  cumulative  evidence  of  the  law  of  mediumship  which 
is  so  clearly  disclosed  by  the  illustrations  already  submitted. 


196      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

Further  time  and  space  will  therefore  not  be  consumed  on  this 
branch  of  the  subject. 

It  only  remains  to  close  this  chapter  with  a  restatement  of 
the  fundamental  fact  that  there  is  no  such  thing  as  medium- 
ship  free  from  mental  domination  and  control.  Whoever 
may  be  induced  to  undertake  the  development  of  any  form  of 
mediumsliip  whatsoever,  upon  the  theory  that  it  does  not  af- 
fect the  mind,  is  cruelly  deceived.  Caveat! 


NEITHER  A  "  GIFT  "  NOR  A  "  POWER  "     197 


CHAPTER   VIII. 


NEITHER  A  "GIFT"  NOR  A  "POWER." 

To  the  popular  mind  there  is  no  fallacy  so  subtle  or  so 
difficult  of  detection  as  that  which  is  carelessly  concealed  be- 
neath the  noble  exterior  of  an  innocent  and  gracious  word 
misapplied. 

Hypnotists  have  misapplied  the  otherwise  harmless  word 
"Suggestion,"  and  by  so  doing  have  rilled  the  popular  mind 
with  the  impression  that  hypnosis  is  nothing  more  harmful 
than  a  sort  of  patent  process  by  which  one  individual  may 
pump  valuable  thoughts  and  ideas  into  the  mind  of  another. 

It  will,  in  all  probability,  require  at  least  a  generation  to 
fully  expose  this  fallacy  and  in  its  stead  fix  in  the  public  mind 
a  clear  understanding  of  the  fact  that  the  word  "suggestion," 
wherever  and  whenever  it  is  employed  in  connection  with  the 
hypnotic  process,  is  a  misnomer.  It  will  doubtless  require 
another  to  repair  the  injury  that  has  already  followed  and  is 
yet  to  follow  as  a  direct  result  of  this  simple  but  subtle  fallacy. 

And  all  this  is  merely  because  the  word  "suggestion"  is, 
in  itself,  a  good,  gracious  and  virtuous  word  whose  excellent 
qualities  stand  out  in  such  bold  relief  as  to  overshadow  all 
things  else  and  entirely  conceal  from  the  unsuspecting  intelli- 
gence the  destructive  principle  of  nature  which  underlies  the 
hypnotic  process. 

In  like  manner  there  are,  perhaps,  no  three  words  in  the 
English  language  which,  in  themselves,  are  more  entirely 
harmless  and  free  from  obloquy,  when  properly  employed, 
than  those  which  follow,  viz. : 

1.  "GIFT."     This  word,  when  properly  employed,  is  de- 
fined as  "Anything  given  or  bestowed,"  or  "A  special  talent," 
etc.     Its  most  usual  synonyms  are,  "Present,  donation,  bene- 
faction, boon,  endowment,  talent,  faculty,"  etc.     From  these 
it  will  be  seen  at  once  that  the  term  carries  with  it  a  distinct 
suggestion  of  good  and  nothing  but  good. 

2.  "POWER."     A   proper  definition   of  this   word,    when 
correctly  employed,  would  be,  "Ability  to  act.      The  exercise 


198      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

of  a  faculty.  The  employment  of  strength.  The  exercise 
of  any  kind  of  control,  influence,  domination  or  sway.  Men- 
tal or  moral  ability  to  act,"  etc.  Its  usual  and  acknowledged 
synonyms  are  "Potency,  might,  force,  strength,  ability,  capac- 
ity, capability,"  etc.  When  applied  to  the  individual  who  is 
supposed  to  possess  it,  therefore,  it  conveys  the  distinct  idea 
of  merit,  worth,  desirability,  value  and  individual  power,  all 
of  which  are  good. 

3.  "DEVELOPMENT."  In  its  common  acceptation  this 
word  means  "A  gradual  unfolding.  A  formative  process  by 
natural  growth.  Improvement  by  natural  processes,"  etc. 
The  word  carries  with  it  in  its  general  use  the  unmistakable 
suggestion  of  progression  and  improvement  by  natural  pro- 
cesses. In  other  words,  it  is  associated  with  the  constructive 
side  of  nature's  evolutionary  processes. 

So  numerously  and  conspicuously  do  these  excellent  quali- 
ties cluster  about  and  so  tenaciously  do  they  cling  to  the  mere 
words  themselves  that  it  seems  almost  impossible  to  under- 
stand how  they  could  ever  be  employed  to  conceal  a  fallacy 
or  befog  the  intelligence. 

Such,  however,  is  the  case.  To  these  simple,  innocent, 
worthy  and  meritorious  words  misapplied,  more,  perhaps, 
than  to  any  other  single  cause,  the  public  is  indebted  for  its 
widespread  misconception  of  the  fundamental  principle  at 
the  basis  of  mediumship. 

When  the  medium  honestly  and  conscientiously  speaks  of 
his  mediumship  as  a  "gift,"  the  credulous,  the  unthinking  and 
the  unscientific  take  for  granted  that  he  uses  the  word  in  its 
usual  and  legitimate  sense.  They,  therefore,  are  led  to  as- 
sume that  he  is  the  possessor  of  "a  special  talent,"  or  that 
he  has  been  the  recipient  of  a  "beneficent  endowment"  which 
God  or  Nature  bestows  upon  only  a  select  and  favored  few. 
There  are  doubtless  many  mediums  who  honestly  look  upon 
their  mediumship  in  precisely  this  light.  The  writer  has  met 
a  number  who  maintain  that  attitude. 

But  what  are  the  facts?  Mediumship  is  a  subjective  pro- 
cess on  the  part  of  the  medium,  and  is  so  admitted.  There 
are  no  exceptions.  It  is  a  dominating  process  on  the  part  of 


NEITHER  A  "GIFT"  NOR  A  "POWER"      199 

his  controls,  and  is  so  admitted.  There  are  no  exceptions. 
Any  process  which  establishes  a  different  relation  than  this  is 
not  mediumistic.  Mediumship,  in  fact,  is  possible  only  in 
proportion  as  the  medium  becomes  an  instrument  under  the 
domination  and  control  of  outside,  spiritual  intelligences. 
But  he  becomes  such  an  instrument  only  in  just  so  far  as  he 
surrenders  himself,  body  and  soul,  to  the  domination  of  his 
controls.  That  is  to  say,  in  exact  proportion  as  outside  intel- 
ligences control  him  and  convert  him  into  a  medium  they  rob 
him  of  his  power  of  self-control. 

From  the  standpoint  of  the  recipient,  therefore,  medium- 
ship  represents  nothing  whatever  in  the  nature  of  a  "gift"  to 
the  medium.  On  the  contrary,  it  represents  only  a  loss  of  in- 
dividual power.  Instead  of  being  the  recipient  of  a  valuable 
"gift,"  the  medium  is  robbed  of  his  most  valuable  possession, 
the  power  of  independent,  self-conscious  and  rational  volition 
upon  which  the  power  of  self-control  depends.  Mediumship 
from  the  standpoint  of  the  medium  is,  in  fact,  a  purely  nega- 
tive proposition.  It  is  a  self-surrender  and  not  a  "gift."  If 
gift  in  any  sense,  it  is  a  gift  from  the  medium  instead  of  a 
gift  to  him. 

It  is  true  that  the  negative  quality  of  mind  and  soul  which 
forms  the  basis  of  mediumship  may  be  and  often  is  transmitted 
by  heredity  to  some  extent.  In  so  far  as  this  is  true,  in  any 
given  case,  it  may  be  said  to  represent  a  natural  condition.  In 
other  words,  to  that  extent  it  comes  to  the  individual  without 
effort  on  his  part.  And  it  is  just  possible  that  this  is  the 
reason  mediums  themselves  have  come  to  regard  their  medi- 
umistic tendencies  as  "gifts  of  nature." 

However  this  may  be,  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  insan- 
ity is  also  very  often  a  "gift"  in  precisely  the  same  sense.  In 
like  manner  drunkenness  and  licentiousness  may  become 
"gifts."  In  precisely  the  same  sense  rheumatism,  scrofula, 
cancer,  consumption  and  various  other  ills  and  misfortunes 
are  very  often  "gifts  of  nature."  In  the  sense  that  these  things 
are  "gifts,"  however,  they  are  those  of  which  no  man  is 
proud,  and  they  do  not  fall  within  the  accepted  meaning  of 
the  term  at  all.  They  are  in  no  sense  benefactions.  They  are 


200      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

not  generous  gratuities.  They  are  not  valuable  endowments. 
On  the  other  hand,  they  represent  only  human  frailties  and 
natural  weaknesses.  They  stand  for  the  absence  of  health, 
strength,  virtue  and  individual  power.  We  therefore  do  not 
call  them  "gifts."  They  are,  in  truth,  but  robberies. 

When  it  comes  to  be  generally  known  among  the  people 
that  mediumship  is  only  a  negative  quality  as  well  as  a  nega- 
tive quantity,  and  that  it  represents  the  absence  of  all  that  is 
desirable  in  individual  life,  mediums  will  cease  to  call  it  a 
"gift."  It  will  then  be  given  a  name  in  accord  with  the  facts. 
It  will  come  to  be  known  for  what  it  is  in  reality — a  depriva- 
tion, a  robbery,  a  weakness,  a  detriment,  a  deterioration,  a  ret- 
rogression, a  degeneracy,  a  devolution. 

In  like  manner,  mediums  are  wont  to  speak  of  their  me- 
diumistic  "powers."  Although  this  is  done  honestly  in  many 
instances  and  without  intent  to  deceive,  nevertheless  it  is  mis- 
leading. It  conveys  to  the  casual  student,  the  credulous  and 
the  unsophisticated,  the  unmistakable  impression  that  medium- 
ship  really  gives  to  the  medium  added  powers.  It  conveys 
the  idea  that  it  makes  him  stronger  in  himself,  gives  him  in- 
dependent control  over  new  forces  and  processes  in  Nature, 
and  adds  to  his  individual  ability,  efficiency  and  strength.  It 
conveys  all  this,  whereas,  the  exact  reverse  is  true. 

Every  medium  of  intelligence  knows  and  admits  that  in 
exact  proportion  as  he  becomes  a  medium  he  surrenders  the 
power  of  self-control.  In  precisely  the  same  proportion  he 
becomes  subject  to  the  domination  and  control  of  outside  in- 
telligences. It  is  true  that  in  one  view  of  the  subject  the  me- 
diumistic  process  involves  the  development  of  "powers,"  but 
not  those  on  the  part  of  the  medium.  All  the  "power"  it  de- 
velops is  on  the  part  of  the  dominating,  spiritual  controls. 
Moreover,  the  power  which  the  controls  thus  acquire  is  that 
power  which  enables  them  to  rob  the  medium  of  his  own 
natural  and  rightful  power  of  self-control. 

The  truth  of  all  this  is  demonstrated  in  every  phase  of  me- 
diumship. From  the  beginning  to  the  end  the  mediumistic 
process  involves  a  continued  loss  of  power  on  the  part  of  the 


NEITHER  A  "  GIFT  "  NOR  A  "  POWER  "      201 

medium,  and  a  corresponding  acquisition  of  power  on  the 
part  of  his  controls. 

This  strange  and  ingenious  misuse  of  terms  which  is  so 
apparent  in  spiritualistic  literature  involves  an  error  so  subtle 
that  even  mediums  themselves  appear  to  have  become  con- 
fused as  to  the  principle  back  of  the  mediumistic  process. 

As  an  illustration,  they  often  speak  of  clairvoyance  as  if 
it  were  a  definite  power  possessed  by  the  medium,  whereas 
the  exact  reverse  is  true.  The  fallacy  is  so  patent  to  those 
who  understand  the  subjective  process  back  of  mediumship 
that  to  them  it  needs  no  explanation.  But  the  great  multi- 
tude who  have  relied  upon  the  accuracy  of  the  terminology 
employed,  rather  than  upon  a  demonstration  of  the  principle 
at  the  foundation  of  the  mediumistic  process,  have  been  in  the 
past  and  will  continue  to  be  in  the  future,  grievously  misled. 
It  is  especially  important  that  they  too  should  understand  the 
true  principle  for  the  purpose  of  self -protection. 

For  the  benefit  of  those  who  may  not  have  personally 
demonstrated  the  error  for  themselves,  the  following  facts, 
which  are  familiar  to  every  medium,  are  here  presented  for 
careful  consideration : 

i.  An  individual  who  has  become  clairvoyant  through 
the  subjective  process  of  mediumship  does  not  see  clairvoy- 
antly  whenever  he  so  desires  any  more  than  does  the  hypnotic 
subject. 

2.,  He  is  not  able,  as  many  suppose,  to  open  his  spiritual 
eyes  at  will  and  see  whatever  there  is  to  be  seen  upon  the 
spiritual  plane  about  him. 

3.  On  the  contrary,  he  sees  clairvoyantly,  just  as  the  hyp-, 
notic  subject  does,  only  when  conditions  are  made  for  him 
by  his  controls. 

4.  Moreover,  he  sees  only  those  things  which  his  controls 
desire  him  to  see  and  which  they  actually  place  before  his 
spiritual  vision. 

5.  His  spiritual  vision  comes  to  him  without  his  knowl- 
edge of  the  process  involved.     It  comes  without  an  effort  on 
his  part.     It  comes  and  goes  regardless  of  his  own  efforts  or 
his  own  will.     It  is  something  over  which  he  has  no  control 


202       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

whatever.  He  may  desire  with  all  his  soul  to  see.  He  may 
exert  every  power  at  his  command  to  accomplish  that  desire. 
But  his  own  volition  unaided  is  without  avail."  His  spiritual 
vision,  so  long  as  subjective  methods  and  processes  are  em- 
ployed, will  remain  closed  until  it  is  opened  for  him  by  his 
controlling,  spiritual  intelligences. 

A  vision  is  flashed  before  his  eyes.  He  sees  it  for  an  in- 
stant and  it  is  gone.  The  more  he  tries  to  see  it  the  more 
quickly  it  evades  him.  Let  him  exert  every  power  of  his  being 
to  follow  it.  He  cannot  do  it.-  In  spite  of  all  his  individual 
efforts  it  passes  from  him.  In  other  words,  his  psychic  vision 
opens  and  closes  regardless  of  his  individual  will  or  wish. 
It  takes  possession  of  him  and  departs  from  him  in  defiance 
of  all  his  own  powers.  He  is  its  plaything  and  not  its  master. 
It  controls  him.  He  does  not  control  it.  All  the  powers  in- 
volved in  the  process  are  upon  him  and  not  within  him. 

The  very  attitude  he  assumes  betrays  the  fact  that  his 
clairvoyance  is  anything  but  a  "power"  of  his  own.  When 
he  desires  to  see  things  upon  the  spiritual  plane  he  places  him- 
self in  a  negative  or  passive  condition  of  both  body  and  mind, 
and  then  what  does  he  do?  Simply  waits.  For  what?  For 
his  controls  to  do  the  rest.  Without  their  co-operation  he  is 
helpless.  He  can  no  more  open  his  spiritual  vision  of  his 
own  volition  than  he  can  change  the  course  of  the  stars.  He 
must  await  the  pleasure  of  his  controls.  Unless  they  choose 
to  make  conditions  for  him  he  will  remain  spiritually  blind 
until  death  shall  remove  the  scales  from  his  eyes. 

And  yet,  he  calls  his  clairvoyance  a  "power,"  thereby  pro- 
jecting the  suggestion  that  it  is  a  power  which  he  controls, 
whereas,  it  is  a  power  which  controls  him  and  to  which  he  is 
only  a  subject.  By  this  gross  misapplication  of  the  word  he 
inevitably  conveys  to  the  uninformed  the  mistaken  impression 
that  it  is  something  over  which  he  has  perfect  command  and 
individual  control.  He  thus  erroneously  leads  them  to  believe 
that  it  is  something  which  he  can  exercise  at  will.  And  thus 
they  are  deceived.  In  like  manner  the  world  in  general  has 
been  deceived  and  is  still  deceived  concerning  many  of  the 


NEITHER  A  "  GIFT  "  NOR  A  "  POWER  "      203 

most  important  facts  of  mediumship  and  the  mediumistic  pro- 
cess. 

With  precisely  the  same  degree  of  consistency  it  may  be 
said  that  inanity  is  a  "power,"  or  that  paralysis  and  impotency 
are  "powers,"  or  that  weakness,  helplessness  and  bondage  are 
"powers." 

Mediumistic  "development"  is  often  spoken  of  in  the  same 
manner.  The  word  is  used  in  such  manner  as  to  convey  the 
impression  that  mediumship  is  the  result  of  a  process  of  indi- 
vidual self-development.  It  is,  however,  the  exact  reverse 
of  this.  The  medium  does  not  develop  himself.  He  is  de- 
veloped. That  is  to  say,  all  the  developing  work  is  done  by 
his  controls  and  not  by  the  medium  himself.  He  is  devel- 
oped in  precisely  the  same  sense  that  a  patient  is  developed 
under  the  influence  of  an  anaesthetic.  That  is  to  say,  he  is 
"developed"  into  a  condition  of  subjectivity  which,  to  pre- 
cisely the  degree  it  exists,  marks  the  surrender  of  his  individ- 
ual and  independent  powers. 

Attention  is  here  called  to  an  exceedingly  important  dis- 
tinction, viz. :  While  mediumship  is  at  all  times  and  under  all 
conditions  and  circumstances  a  subjective  process  and  in- 
variably results  in  a  surrender  and  sacrifice  of  individual 
powers  on  the  part  of  the  medium,  this  does  not  mean  that  all 
psychical  development  is  mediumistic.  On  the  contrary,  quite 
the  reverse  is  true. 

There  is,  in  fact,  a  method  of  development  which,  when 
once  accomplished,  enables  the  individual  to  come  into  as  con- 
scious relation  to  his  spiritual  environment  as  he  is  to  his 
physical  environment.  He  sees  clairvoyantly  whenever  he 
desires  to  do  so,  and  when  he  opens  his  spiritual  eyes  he  sees 
whatever  there  is  to  be  seen  upon  the  spiritual  planes  within 
the  range  of  his  vision.  He  hears  clairaudiently  whenever 
he  wills  to  do  so,  and  when  he  thus  exercises  his  spiritual 
sense  of  hearing  he  hears  whatever  there  is  to  be  heard  upon 
the  spiritual  planes  within  the  range  of  his  hearing.  He  is 
able  to  communicate  with  those  upon  the  spiritual  side  of  life 
as  freely  and  as  voluntarily  as  he  does  with  those  upon  the 
physical  plane. 


204       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

Spiritual  intelligences  have  no  control  over  him  whatever, 
nor  any  of  his  faculties,  capacities  or  voluntary  powers.  He 
is  absolutely  independent  in  the  exercise  of  his  sensory  organ- 
ism. In  other  words,  he  is  an  independent  psychic  in  every 
sense  of  the  term.  He  is  in  every  sense  a  natural  "develop- 
ment," and  at  every  progressive  step  along  the  way  he  ac- 
quires definite  and  specific  "powers." 

He  occupies  the  position  of  a  Master,  while  the  medium 
occupies  that  of  the  subject  or  slave.  The  one  is  indepen- 
dent, the  other  dependent.  The  one  possesses  specific  and 
definite  "powers,"  the  other  is  robbed  of  the  powers  with 
which  Nature  originally  invested  him.  The  one  is  an  active, 
intelligent  factor,  the  other  a  passive  instrument.  The  one 
is  a  responsible,  individual  intelligence,  the  other  an  irrespon- 
sible automaton  to  the  extent  he  becomes  a  subject  of  medium- 
istic  processes. 

The  purpose  and  limitations  of  this  volume  forbid  any 
presentation  at  this  time  of  the  rational  method  of  indepen- 
dent, spiritual  self-development  here  referred  to.  This  sub- 
ject, however,  will  be  fully  covered  in  another  volume  of  this 
series. 

Briefly  recapitulating: 

i.  Mediumship,  from  the  position  of  the  medium,  is 
neither  a  "gift"  nor  a  "power."  It  is  the  antithesis  of  both. 

2..  From  the  standpoint  of  the  medium,  it  is  not  a  "de- 
velopment." It  is  a  progressive  suppression,  retrogression 
and  degeneracy. 

3.  In  the  light  of  the  known  facts  of  science  the  words 
"gift,"  "power"  and  "development,"  whenever  and  wherever 
applied  to  the  state  or  condition  of  the  medium,  are  misno- 
mers. 

4.  To  the  inversion  and  misuse  of  these  terms  in  their  re- 
lation to  the  mediumistic  process  is  due  a  very  large  proportion 
of  the  confusion   and  misunderstanding  on  the  part  of  the 
public  in  general  concerning  the  principle  back  of  mediumship 
and  the  subjective  process. 


MEDIUMSHIP  DESTRUCTIVE 205 

CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  DESTRUCTIVE  PRINCIPLE  IN  MEDIUMSHIP. 

Perhaps  the  one  error  most  difficult  to  dislodge  from  the 
human  mind  and  consciousness  is  that  which  is  bound  up  in 
a  comforting  belief. 

It  needs  but  a  glance  at  the  pages  of  history  to  discover 
that  throughout  the  ages  the  great  body  of  humanity  has  ex- 
pended vastly  more  energy  in  hugging  its  delusions  and  cher- 
ishing its  beliefs  than  in  its  search  for  truth. 

The  cause  of  this  interesting  phenomenon  of  the  human 
intellect  lies  deeply  imbedded  in  the  very  texture  of  our  es- 
sential nature.  The  pathway  of  the  soul  which  leads  to  hu- 
man happiness,  or  to  the  goal  of  human  ambitions,  is  both 
steep  and  rugged  and  beset  with  many  dangers.  Each  indi- 
vidual who  travels  this  way  is  forever  in  search  of  congenial 
fellowship.  He  is  ready  to  accept  as  a  friend  and  cherish  as 
a  companion  whatever  brings  to  him  courage,  faith,  hope  or 
comfort.  He  is  ever  ready  to  let  down  the  outer  gates  and 
open  wide  the  inner  doors  of  the  soul  to  admit  even  a  delu- 
sion, if  it  be  but  a  friendly  one,  or  a  mere  belief,  if  it  brings 
comfort;  and  when  once  admitted  he  stands  ready  to  defend 
it  against  all  the  world,  truth  included. 

Human  intelligence  does  not  confine  itself  to  the  study  of 
logic,  nor  to  the  art  of  reasoning  from  acknowledged  premises 
to  legitimate  conclusions.  If  it  did  so  it  would  discover  many 
things  in  Nature  of  which  it  has  thus  far  never  dared  to  even 
dream.  Consistency  is  a  jewel  so  precious  and  so  rare  that 
it  is  possessed  by  only  the  few.  While  we  all  know  and  freely 
acknowledge  that  truth  is  better  than  falsehood  or  error, 
nevertheless,  when  we  have  once  come  into  possession  of  that 
which  to  us  is  a  comfort  or  an  inspiration  to  faith,  hope  or 
happiness,  even  though  it  be  a  delusion  or  a  fallacy,  it  is  a 
part  of  our  human  nature  to  cling  to  it  with  all  our  strength 
and  all  our  might  lest  some  one  shall  wrest  it  from  us  and  de- 
prive us  of  the  pleasure  it  has  afforded. 

To  many  a  lonely  and  anxious  soul  spiritual  mediumship 


200      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

has  been  the  open  door  through  which  the  dove  of  peace  has 
entered  with  its  olive  leaf  of  glad  tidings  from  beyond  the 
dark  and  troubled  waters.  It  is  not  strange,  therefore,  that 
those  who,  through  this  open  door,  have  watched  for  the 
coming  of  the  winged  messenger  of  hope,  should  bar  the  ap- 
proach of  those  who  would  forever  close  it  against  them. 

For  such  as  these,  however,  there  is  a  greater  comfort 
than  the  mere  leaf  of  hope  in  the  beak  of  a  fleeting  dove. 
There  is  yet  another  and  a  higher  door  from  which  you  your- 
self may  pass  beyond  the  restless  tide  and  for  yourself  behold 
the  tree  of  life  from  which  that  leaf  was  plucked. 

The  purpose  of  this  work,  therefore,  is  not  to  condemn 
those  who  have  sought  knowledge  of  the  life  that  lies  beyond 
the  dark  shadow  of  physical  death,  nor  yet  to  inveigh  against 
mediums  as  the  instruments  by  and  through  which  this  knowl~ 
edge  has  been  transmitted. 

Let  it  be  remembered  that  all  the  material  claims  of  spir-. 
itualism  are  admitted  in  advance.  Not  only  this,  they  have 
been  fully  verified  by  scientific  demonstration.  The  question 
before  us,  therefore,  is  not  as  to  the  fact  of  mediumship  it- 
self, nor  the  genuineness  of  its  phenomena.  It  is  solely  and 
entirely  a  question  of  principle. 

Those  who  view  this  subject  from  the  standpoint  of  per- 
sonal interest  appear  to  take  for  granted  that  merely  because 
mediumship  has  given  to  the  world  that  which  the  world  has 
desired,  that  is,  definite  assurance  of  a  future  life,  the  principle 
and  the  process  involved  in  mediumship  are  therefore  neces- 
sarily right.  At  first  view  this  assumption  would  appear  to 
be  justified. 

If  mediumship  involved  no  other  results  than  that  of 
giving  to  the  world  knowledge  of  a  life  beyond  the  grave, 
this  volume  never  would  have  been  written.  But  such  is  not 
the  case.  It  involves  vastly  more  than  the  mere  question  of 
another  life.  Its  results  are  therefore  complex.  Its  merits 
must  be  determined  by  all  the  results  which  flow  from  it,  and 
not  by  a  single  or  isolated  result  which  may  represent  but  a 
mere  fraction  of  the  great  aggregate  of  which  it  is  but  a  part. 


MEDIUMSHIP  DESTRUCTIVE  207 

It  will  help  to  clear  the  mind  for  a  more  perfect  understand- 
ing of  the  subject  if  we  first  arrive  at  a  satisfactory  solution  of 
the  following  question,  viz. : 

Is  it  possible  for  any  given  result  which,  in  itself,  is  desir- 
able and  beneficent,  to  follow,  as  the  natural  sequence  of  a 
process  which  is  indefensibly  wrong,  immoral  and  injurious? 

A  complete  answer  will  be  found  in  the  following  illustra- 
tions : 

i.  A  gentleman  desires  to  educate  his  son  for  the  minis- 
try. This  is  a  desire  which  is  admittedly  worthy.  To  ac- 
complish this  worthy  result  requires  money.  He  knows  that 
upon  the  death  of  his  own  mother  he  will  fall  heir  to  a  for- 
tune which  would  enable  him  to  accomplish  the  fulfillment  of 
his  worthy  desire.  He  therefore  plans  and  successfully  ac- 
complishes his  mother's  death.  The  fortune  is  received.  His 
son  is  educated.  The  ministry  receives  a  worthy  and  valued 
brother.  The  world  is  greatly  benefited  as  the  result  of  his 
ministry. 

Here  is  an  instance  in  which  the  father's  desire  is  in  every 
way  commendable.  The  results  to  both  the  son  and  the  world 
are,  in  themselves,  desirable  and  beneficent.  But  the  method 
by  which  those  results  were  accomplished  is  not  only  inde- 
fensibly wrong,  immoral  and  injurious,  but  criminal  to  the 
last  degree. 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  primary  result  sought  in  this 
case,  namely,  the  son's  education,  constitutes  but  a  part  of 
the  aggregate  results  which  flowed  from  the  method  and  the 
process  by  which  it  was  accomplished.  Herein  lies  the  mys- 
tery. There  were  other  results,  and  these  are  they  that  stamp 
the  process  as  injurious  and  wrong. 

2..  A  scientist  desires  to  obtain  certain  geological  data 
from  a  cave  which  he  has  reason  to  believe  is  inhabited  by 
venomous  reptiles  and  ravenous  beasts.  He  is  afraid  to  enter 
the  cave  himself.  He  therefore  sends  his  innocent  and  trust- 
ing child  in  the  hope  that  he  may  perhaps  be  able  to  bring 
back  the  desired  information.  At  his  command  the  child  en- 
ters the  cave  and  is  stung  by  a  venomous  serpent.  He  brings 
back  the  desired  information  but  dies  as  a  result. 


208       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

The  desire  for  knowledge  in  this  case  may  have  been  en- 
tirely commendable.  The  knowledge  obtained  may  have  been 
of  special  value  to  the  world.  But  the  method  or  process 
by  which  it  was  obtained  was  cruel,  inhuman,  cowardly  and 
criminally  unjust. 

3.  A  physician  desires  to  know  the  physiological  action 
of  a  certain  drug.     He  therefore  feeds  it  to  his  innocent  child. 
The  child  dies.     The  physician   thereby   obtains  the  desired 
knowledge.     This  knowledge,  in  itself,  is  both  desirable  and 
commendable.     It  may  be  of  great  value  to  the  rest  of  hu- 
manity.    It  may  result  in  a  beneficent  discovery.     But  who 
shall  say  that  the  method  or  process  by  which    it  was  ob- 
tained is  right? 

4.  A   psychologist   desires  to   obtain   definite   knowledge 
concerning  the  great  problem  of  a  life  beyond  the  grave.     He 
has   already    learned    from   the  professional    observations   of 
physicians  that  those  who  slowly  bleed  to  death  almost  in- 
variably fall  into  a  psychic  state  during  the  closing  moments 
of  life  in  which  they  often  see,  hear  and  talk  with  those  who 
are  known  to  have  passed  to  the  other  shore  of  life. 

For  the  purpose  of  obtaining  more  light  upon  this  most 
fascinating  of  all  subjects,  he  takes  one  after  the  other  of  the 
members  of  his  own  family  into  his  laboratory  and  there 
slowly  bleeds  them  to  death  in  order  that  he  may  hear  their 
last  words  and  question  them  concerning  those  whom  they 
see  and  hear  and  speak  with  as  they  descend  into  the  valley 
of  the  shadow.  Through  this  method  he  obtains  authentic 
messages  from  his  own  mother,  perhaps,  and  from  other  rela- 
tives and  friends  who  have  gone  before,  and  he  is  thereby 
satisfied  that  death  does  not  end  all. 

The  knowledge  he  has  thus  acquired  is  that  which  all  the 
world  is  seeking.  It  is  the  knowledge  which  would  bring 
comfort  and  strength  and  courage  and  hope  to  many  a  trou- 
bled soul. 

But  what  shall  we  say  of  the  method  or  process  by  which 
he  obtained  this  knowledge?  What  of  the  instruments  by 
and  through  which  he  accomplished  his  purpose  ?  These  were 
his  "mediums."  These  he  sacrificed  for  his  own  selfish  pur- 


MEDIUMSHIP  DESTRUCTIVE 209 

poses.  Every  impulse  of  the  human  soul  protests  against 
such  a  sacrifice.  Every  element  of  justice  condemns  the  pro- 
cess as  indefensibly  wrong,  immoral  and  unjust.  Far  better 
to  have  left  the  problem  unsolved  than  to  have  obtained  his 
knowledge  at  such  a  sacrifice. 

These  illustrations  furnish  a  complete  and  unequivocal 
answer  to  the  question  under  consideration.  It  will  now  be 
seen  that  it  is  quite  possible  for  a  given  result  which,  in  it- 
self, may  be  desirable  and  beneficent,  to  follow  as  the  natural 
sequence  of  a  method  or  process  which  is  indefensibly  wrong, 
immoral  and  injurious.  Not  only  is  this  possible,  but  it  is 
one  of  the  commonest  facts  of  Nature  and  confronts  us  at  al- 
most every  turn  in  the  pathway  of  life. 

There  are  two  well  defined  reasons  for  this,  viz. : 

I.     A  complex  process  often  produces  mixed  results. 

2..  Whenever  a  given  process  produces  mixed  results 
some  of  these  results  may  be  good  while  others  may  be  bad. 

In  all  such  instances  it  is  impossible  to  determine  the  real 
merit  or  demerit  of  the  method  or  process  without  taking  into 
account  all  the  known  results  which  it  produces.  When  this 
is  done,  and  only  then,  is  it  possible  to  determine  with  cer- 
tainty the  exact  nature  and  quality  of  the  process. 

A  study  of  the  foregoing  illustrations  will  develop  the  fur- 
ther fact  that  the  desired  result  in  each  instance  might  have 
been  achieved  by  other  methods  than  those  employed.  This 
suggests  the  further  important  fact  that  from  the  standpoint 
of  the  individual  almost  every  desired  result  may  be  accom- 
plished by  at  least  two  different  methods  or  processes,  one  of 
which  is  ethically  right  and  the  other  wrong. 

And  so  it  is  with  the  great  question  of  another  life.  We 
all  admit  that  knowledge  concerning  this  great  and  profound 
problem  is  desirable.  To  most  men  and  women  it  would  seem 
to  be  an  inexpressible  comfort,  joy  and  benefit.  There  are  at 
least  two  distinct  and  radically  different  methods  or  processes 
by  which  the  individual  may  obtain  that  definite  and  specific 
knowledge.  One  of  these  is  ethically  right  and  the  other  is 
ethically  wrong.  One  is  subjective.  The  other  is  indepen- 


210      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

dent.  One  is  constructive  in  its  effects  upon  the  individual. 
The  other  is  destructive. 

One  of  the  processes  is  known  to  the  world  as  "Spiritual 
mediumship."  Is  it  the  right  one,  or  the  wrong  one?  Is  it 
constructive,  or  destructive? 

The  correct  answer  to  these  questions  will  be  found  only 
through  a  careful  study  of  all  the  known  results  of  the  me- 
diumistic  process. 

In  the  analysis  of  this  subject  there  are  two  general  classes 
of  results  which  must  be  taken  into  account,  viz. : 

i.     Those  which  affect  the  medium. 

2..     Those  which  do  not  affect  the  medium. 

Those  results  of  the  mediumistic  process  which  do  not  af- 
fect the  medium  may,  for  convenience,  be  subdivided  as  fol- 
lows : 

(a)  Those  results  which  affect  such  of  the  sitters,  in  a 
spiritualistic  seance  or  circle,  as  are  not  in  the  least  medium- 
istic. 

For  the  sake  of  avoiding  all  questions  of  controversy  it 
will  be  admitted  that  a  fair  proportionate  number  of  this  class 
have  been  convinced  by  mediumistic  phenomena  that  there  is 
a  life  after  physical  death.  These  have  come  to  believe  that 
through  mediumship  it  is  possible  to  communicate  with  and 
receive  communications  from  those  on  the  spiritual  side  of 
life.  Thus  they  are  given  a  belief,  and  their  faith  is  es- 
tablished. 

The  nature  of  the  messages  received  and  the  phenomena 
witnessed,  however,  has  produced  upon  them  very  different 
results.  On  the  one  hand,  where  the  communications  have 
been  intelligent  and  of  a  sufficiently  high  moral  tone,  the  re- 
sults have  been,  to  all  appearances,  of  a  beneficial  character. 
They  have,  at  least,  brought  to  the  recipients  a  certain  amount 
of  hope  and  a  comforting  assurance  that  death  does  not  end 
all. 

On  the  other  hand,  in  quite  as  many  instances,  the  nature 
of  the  messages  received  and  the  character  of  the  phenomena 
witnessed  have  been  so  entirely  devoid  of  intellectual  merit, 
moral  quality  and  common  honesty  as  to  convey  the  impres- 


MEDIUMSHIP  DESTRUCTIVE 211 

sion  that  the  spiritual  world  is  exclusively  inhabited  by  im- 
beciles, fools,  liars  and  knaves.  In  all  such  instances  the  re- 
sults have  been  of  the  most  unfortunate  character.  They 
have  brought  neither  comfort  nor  hope  nor  an  inspiration  to 
better  living. 

Then  again,  many  of  this  class  have  spent  years  investigat- 
ing the  subject  only  to  turn  from  it  all,  weary  and  heart-sick 
and  disgusted,  with  the  firm  and  unalterable  conviction  that 
it  is  all  a  fraud  from  beginning  to  end.  If  skeptical  at  the 
beginning,  their  skepticism  has  been  thereby  many  times  in- 
tensified. If  religiously  inclined,  their  faith  in  both  God  and 
man  has  been  completely  shattered.  Their  hope  of  a  future 
life  and  their  inspiration  to  higher  ideals  have  been  taken  from 
them.  To  all  such  as  these  mediumship  has  brought  nothing 
but  disappointment  and  direct  personal  injury. 

(b)  The  results  of  mediumship  which  affect  those  sitters 
who  are  not  yet  mediums,  but  who  are  of  the  negative  types 
and  more  or  less  susceptible  to  spiritual  influences. 

With  comparatively  few  exceptions,  the  result  is  that  in- 
dividuals of  this  class  are  ultimately  overwhelmed  by  the  spir- 
itual influences  and  either  become  mediums  of  the  various 
forms  and  in  the  varying  degrees  hereinbefore  outlined,  or 
they  are  adjudged  insane  and  committed  to  the  various  insti- 
tutions for  the  insane  throughout  the  country. 

(c)  The  results  of  the  mediumistic  process  upon  the  spir- 
itual controls  who  participate  in  the  work  of  developing  me- 
diums. 

Inasmuch  as  this  branch  of  the  subject  will  be  fully  con- 
sidered in  Part  III,  of  this  volume,  it  is  only  necessary  at  this 
time  to  state  that  the  results  upon  this  class  are,  without  ex- 
ception, of  the  most  harmful  and  destructive  character. 

This  brings  us  to  a  consideration  of  the  results  of  medium- 
ship  which  affect  the  medium  himself.  This  is  by  far  the  most 
important  branch  of  the  subject  under  consideration.  It 
therefore  demands  the  most  careful  study  and  analysis  from 
the  standpoint  of  the  accumulated  and  verified  facts  of  science. 

A  critical  study  of  mediumship  from  the  standpoint  of  the 
medium  himself  involves  three  distinct  and  separate  lines  of 


212      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

inquiry  by  which  to  determine  the  possible  merits  or  demerits 
of  the  mediumistic  process,  viz. : 

I.  Its  physical  effects  upon  the  medium. 

II.  Its  mental  effects  upon  the  medium. 

III.  Its  moral  effects  upon  the  medium. 

In  the  order  named  our  present  inquiry  is  concerned  with : 

I.  The  purely  physical  effects  of  the  mediumistic  process 
upon  the  medium  himself. 

A  complete  exposition  of  this  subject  would  demand  an 
exhaustive  inquiry  into  the  physiology  and  pathology  of  me- 
diumship.  But  in  all  their  essential  features  these  are  iden- 
tical with  those  of  hypnotism.  The  physiology  and  pathology 
of  hypnotism,  however,  have  been  sufficiently  outlined  in  Part 
I,  Chapter  VIII,  of  this  volume,  to  which  the  reader  is  re- 
ferred for  the  specific  data  necessary  to  a  complete  under- 
standing of  the  subject  here  under  consideration.  It  would 
seem  but  needless  repetition  to  cover  the  same  subject  again 
in  this  connection.  A  brief  summary  of  the  most  salient  facts 
there  presented  would  appear  to  be  all  that  is  necessary  at  this 
time. 

These  naturally  divide  themselves  into  two  general  classes, 
viz.: 

1.  Immediate  results. 

2.  Subsequent  results. 

The  immediate  physical  results  of  the  mediumistic  process 
upon  the  medium  may  be  briefly  summarized  as  follows : 

(a)  The  mediumistic    process    acts    directly    upon    the 
physical  brain  of  the  medium  in  the  reverse  order  of  its  evo- 
lutionary development. 

(b)  Its  primary  physiological  action,  therefore,  is  upon 
the  objective  and  perceptive  organs  of  the  brain  which  lie 
immediately  above  and  back  of  the  eyes. 

(c)  Thence,  as  the  subjective  state  deepens,  its    effects 
sweep   backward    through   the    intellectual   brain,    downward 
through  the  middle  brain,  and  in  its  most  profound  state  of 
catalepsy  or  lethargic,  trance  control,  it  acts  upon  the  primary 
brain. 

(d)  The   direct   and   specific  effect  of   the   mediumistic 


MEDIUMSHIP  DESTRUCTIVE 213 

process,  from  its  inception  to  its  conclusion,  is  paralysis  of 
the  physical  brain  and  physical  sensory  organism  of  the 
medium. 

(e)  The  degree  of  paralysis  at  any  given  stage  of  the 
process   is  measured   by   the   degree   of  mediumistic   control 
attained. 

(f)  The  varying  degrees  of  paralysis,  therefore,  range 
all  the  way  from  the  first  faint  mediumistic  impulse  of  sub- 
jection through  all  its  deepening  stages  to  the  state  of  com- 
plete catalepsy  or  lethargic,  trance  control. 

The  subsequent  results  of  the  mediumistic  process  upon 
the  physical  organism  of  the  medium,  briefly  summarized,  are 
as  follows : 

(a)  As  the  mediumistic  state  or  condition  is  developed 
through  a  series  of  sittings  the  nervous  organism  of  the  me- 
dium becomes  more  and  more  acutely  sensitive  to  the  pressure 
of  its  environment.     This  at  first  manifests  itself  in  what  is 
often  defined  as  simple  nervousness.     As  the  process  of  me- 
diumistic subjection   progresses   this  state  of  nervous   sensi- 
bility to  environment  usually  leads  to  insomnia  and  thence  to 
intense  nervous  irritability. 

(b)  Long  continued  or  oft  repeated   subjection   of  the 
medium  to  the  mediumistic  process  almost  invariably  results 
in  complete  nervous  prostration. 

(c)  If  the   process  be   carried   far   enough  the   physical 
brain  tissues  become   impaired,    from    which   condition   brain 
diseases  of  various  kinds  and  degrees  follow  as  a  natural  con- 
sequence. 

(d)  Wherever  mediumistic   control   becomes   continuous 
insanity  follows  as  a  natural  result.    This  subject  will  be  more 
fully  considered  in  a  subsequent  chapter. 

(e)  The  very  nature  of  the  mediumistic  process  is  such 
that  in  the  production  of  mediumistic  phenomena  it  is  neces- 
sary for  the  spiritual  controls  to  appropriate  and  expend  the 
medium's  animal  magetism  and  vital  energy  as  rapidly  as  the 
same  are  generated  by  his  physical  organism. 

This  is  illustrated  by  the  fact  that  wherever  the  medium 
voluntarily  submits  to  control  (under  the  mutual  agreement 


214       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

that  the  spiritual  intelligences  are  to  have  the  use  of  the  me- 
dium's physical  organism  at  stated  intervals  without  opposi- 
tion), they  seldom  hold  the  medium  under  complete  and  con- 
tinuous subjection  longer  than  from  one  to  two  hours  at  any 
one  time. 

Mediums  themselves  invariably  recognize  this  condition 
of  magnetic  and  vital  depletion  after  each  mediumistic  sub- 
jection. Oftentimes  it  is  so  marked  as  to  result  in  complete 
physical  exhaustion. 

(f)  The  amount  of  magnetic  and  vital  energy  thus  ap- 
propriated and  expended  by  the  controls  depends  somewhat 
on  the  form  of  mediumship  employed. 

For  instance,  it  is  a  fact  well  known  to  every  one  who  has 
given  the  subject  consideration  that  the  process  of  material- 
ization calls  for  the  largest  expenditure  of  magnetic  and  vital 
energy  within  a  given  period  of  time.  Other  forms  of  com- 
plete trance  control  follow  next  in  regular  order,  and  so  on 
down  through  all  the  other  forms  of  partial  control. 

(g)  It  is  found  that  this  depletion  of  magnetic  and  vital 
energy  is,  with  very  rare  exceptions,  commensurate  with  the 
degree  and  continuity  of  the  control  exercised. 

(h)  The  power  possessed  by  every  human,  physical  or- 
ganism to  resist  the  encroachments  of  disease  is  measured 
by  the  volume  of  its  magnetic  and  vital  energy  in  stock  at 
any  given  time.  The  literal  truth  of  this  statement  is  known 
to  every  practicing  physician  throughout  the  country.  It  will 
therefore  be  observed  that  the  inevitable  depletion  which  fol- 
lows from  the  mediumistic  process  leaves  the  physical  organ- 
ism of  the  medium,  for  the  time  being,  practically  defenseless 
against  the  arch  enemy  of  mankind  in  the  form  of  physical 
disease. 

This  is  also  fully  verified  by  the  most  recent  and  reliable 
statistics,  which  show  that  the  average  life  of  the  medium, 
dating  from  the  development  of  the  mediumistic  condition, 
is  only  a  fraction  over  seven  years.  This  includes  mediums 
of  both  sexes  and  all  ages  who  have  given  themselves  up  to 
the  practice  of  mediumship  either  regularly  or  as  a  business. 

It  is  true  that  there  are  a  few  very  remarkable  exceptions 


MEDIUMSHIP  DESTRUCTIVE 215 

where  mediumistic  subjection  has  followed  with  reasonable 
regularity  over  a  period  of  years.  These  cases,  however,  are 
the  rare  exceptions  and  only  serve  to  prove  more  fully  the 
general  rule.  It  is  found  that  in  every  such  exception  there 
is  a  specific  cause,  which  only  serves  to  verify  more  fully  the 
principle  above  stated. 

For  illustration :  A  certain  well  known  medium  of  inter- 
national reputation  has  been  giving  public  seances  and  deliv- 
ering public  sermons  under  complete  trance  control  for  some- 
thing like  twenty-five  years,  and  possibly  longer.  The  ques- 
tion very  naturally  arises  as  to  how  this  is  possible,  when  the 
mediumistic  process,  under  all  ordinary  conditions,  is  known 
to  be  so  extremely  enervating  and  paralyzing  to  the  physical 
organism  of  the  medium. 

It  is  known  that  in  this  particular  instance  the  magnetic 
and  vital  energies  of  the  medium,  appropriated  by  her  con- 
trols, are  immediately  resupplied  to  her  from  the  negative 
and  mediumistic  members  of  her  audience.  In  this  event 
the  largest  ultimate  draft  is  upon  the  audience  instead  of  the 
medium.  The  audience,  therefore,  is  the  sufferer  in  this  in- 
stance without  knowing  it.  Certain  members  of  her  regular 
audience  are  so  completely  enervated  by  this  draft  upon  them 
that  for  hours  after  each  regular  service  they  are  seriously 
affected.  They  have  not  yet  located  the  cause.  If  they  will 
hereafter  carefully  note  the  effects  they  will  be  able  to  fully 
verify  the  statements  here  made. 

Let  this  same  medium  be  subjected  to  the  same  character 
of  control  under  conditions  which  preclude  the  possibility  of 
such  draft  upon  her  audience  and  she  will  break  under  the 
strain  in  a  very  short  time. 

II.  This  brings  us  to  the  second  general  line  of  inquiry 
as  to  the  results  of  the  mediumistic  process  upon  the  mental 
condition  of"  the  medium. 

These,  in  like  manner,  naturally,  divide  themselves  into 
two  distinct  classes,  viz. : 

i.     Immediate  and  more  or  less  transitory  results. 

2..     Subsequent  and  more  enduring  results. 

The  immediate  and  more  or  less  transitorv  results  of  the 


216      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

mediumistic  process  upon   the   mind  of  the  medium  are  as 
follows : 

(a)  During  the  continuance  of  the  mediumistic  process 
the  will,  voluntary  powers  and  sensory  organism  of  the  me- 
dium are  under  the  domination  and  control  of  spiritual  intelli- 
gences to  the  exact  degree  that  the  mediumistic  relation  is 
established. 

(b)  In  proportion  to  the  degree  of  mediumistic  control 
established,  at  any  given  time,  the  medium  is  deprived  of  the 
independent  power  to  exercise  his  own  will.  . 

(c)  In   the   same   proportion   he   loses  his    independent 
control  of  the  voluntary  organs  of  his  own  physical  body. 

(d)  In  exactly  the  same  proportion  his  physical  sensory 
organism  fails  to  report  to  his  own  consciousness  accurate  im- 
pressions as  to  passing  events  upon  the  physical  plane. 

(e)  To  the  extent  that  the  mediumistic   process   inter- 
feres with  the  normal  action  of  his  physical  sensory  organism 
the  medium's  judgment  concerning  the  ordinary  affairs  of  life 
is  impaired. 

(f)  In  proportion  as  the  medium  loses  the  power  of  in- 
dependent  volition   under  the  mediumistic    process    his    will 
becomes  an  automatic  instrument  under  the  domination  of  his 
controls. 

(g)  In  all  forms  of  trance  mediumship  the  medium  is 
deprived  of  the  independent  exercise  of  all  his  mental  facul- 
ties, capacities   and   powers,   during  the  continuance  of   the 
mediumistic  process. 

(h)  In  all  the  lighter  forms  of  mediumship  his  loss  of 
the  independent  power  of  self-control  is  exactly  commen^ 
surate  with  the  degree  of  mediumistic  control  to  which  he 
is  thereby  subjected. 

These  results  upon  the  mind  of  the  medium  are  all  imme- 
diate. They  are  also  of  a  more  or  less  transitory  nature,  ex- 
cept to  the  extent  that  injury  follows  therefrom. 

The  subsequent  and  more  enduring  results  of  the  medi- 
umistic process  upon  the  mind  of  the  medium  are,  in  part,  as 
follows : 

(a)     As   the   process   of   mediumistic     subjugation    pro- 


MEDIUMSHIP  DESTRUCTIVE 217 

gresses  the  dominating  spiritual  intelligences  obtain  a  con- 
stantly increasing  power  and  control  over  all  the  mental  facul- 
ties, capacities  and  powers  of  the  medium.  As  a  natural 
result  at  each  succeeding  sitting  the  complete  subjection  of 
the  medium  becomes  less  and  less  difficult  for  them.  This 
is  a  progressive  and  permanent  condition. 

(b)  The  natural  corollary  of  this  demonstrated  proposi- 
tion is  equally  true.     That  is  to  say,  in  exact  proportion  as 
the  spiritual  intelligences  attain  ease  and  facility  in  the  pro- 
cess of  obtaining  control  of  the  medium,  the  medium  himself 
loses  the  independent  power  of   resistance.     This   condition, 
therefore,  also  involves  a  progressive  and  permanent  loss  to 
the  medium. 

(c)  The   mediumistic   process   involves  no   independent, 
self-conscious  and  rational  activity  on  the  part  of  the  medium. 
On  the  other  hand,  it  calls  for  the  exact  reverse  of  this.    That 
is  to  say,  to  the  exact  degree  that  the  mediumistic  relation 
obtains,  the  mind  of  the  medium  is  in  a  negative  or  passive 
condition,  and  therefore  inactive. 

A  high  state  of  mediumistic  development,  therefore,  means 
a  correspondingly  low  state  of  mental  activity  on  the  part  of 
the  medium.  Continuous  mediumistic  practice  means  con- 
tinuous mental  inaction  or  stagnation  on  the  part  of  the 
medium.  This  means  a  corresponding  inactivity  of  the  phys- 
ical brain  through  which  his  mind  operates. 

But  it  is  an  immutable  law  of  physical  nature,  with  which 
medical  science  is  already  thoroughly  familiar,  that  the  inac- 
tion of  any  organ  of  the  physical  body  soon  results  in  its 
atrophy  and  decay,  in  the  loss  of  its  natural  powers  and  the 
suspension  of  its  natural  functions.  This  is  a  fact  of  Nature, 
the  complete  verification  and  demonstration  of  which  is  with- 
in the  power  of  every  individual  who  desires  to  test  it. 

For  illustration :  Let  him  completely  suspend  the  mus- 
cular activity  of  the  arm.  In  a  very  short  time  its  muscles 
become  flabby  and  soft  and  its  powers  wane  in  exact  propor- 
tion to  its  atrophied  condition.  To  the  same  degree  its  nat- 
ural functions  are  suspended. 

The  passive  condition  of  the  mind  in  mediumship  and  the 


218      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

consequent  inactivity  of  the  physical  brain,  through  which  the 
mind  operates,  soon  result  in  atrophy  of  the  brain  tissues,  de- 
generacy of  the  mental  powers  and  suspension  of  the  mental 
functions. 

No  fact  of  Nature  is  more  conclusively  demonstrated  than 
is  this  particular  result  of  the  mediumistic  process.  It  is  the 
common  experience  of  every  medium  who  has  ever  reached 
the  degree  of  mediumistic  subjection  here  referred  to.  To  a 
proportionate  degree  it  is  the  experienbe  of  every  other  me- 
dium, whether  he  is  able  to  measure  it  or  not.  It  is  a  con- 
dition which  may  be  observed  by  every  individual  who  is  in 
position  to  study  the  effects  of  mediumship  upon  the  mental 
powers  of  a  medium. 

An  instance  or  two  out  of  the  many  that  have  come  under 
the  personal  observation  of  the  writer  will  be  sufficient  to 
fully  illustrate  the  principle  tinder  consideration.  For  in- 
stance : 

i.  In  1895  the  writer,  through  a  business  transaction, 
came  into  a  personal  acquaintance  with  a  Mr.  W.,  of  Chicago, 
a  gentleman  of  exceptional  mental  powers  and  qualifications, 
and  the  highest  type  of  intellectual  and  moral  manhood.  This 
gentleman  was,  at  that  time,  at  the  zenith  of  his  mental  vigor 
and  intellectual  power,  and  a  man  whom  it  was  a  rare  pleas- 
ure to  know  and  to  hold  as  a  personal  friend. 

It  so  happened,  however,  that  just  prior  to  the  inception 
of  the  acquaintance  he  had  become  interested  in  the  subject 
of  mediumship  and  had  commenced  the  developing  process. 
During  the  first  year  of  his  mediumistic  development  the 
writer  saw  him  frequently,  and  often  endeavored  to  dissuade 
him  from  his  mediumistic  pursuits,  but  without  avail. 

In  less  than  two  years  he  had  become  an  old  man,  broken 
in  both  body  and  mind,  and  but  a  pitiful  suggestion  of  the 
splendid  and  manly  intelligence  of  two  short  years  before. 
The  operations  of  his  mind,  when  not  under  control,  were  a 
complete  index  of  the  atrophied  condition  of  the  brain  tissues. 
He  was  a  complete  mental  wreck,  the  utter  ruin  of  a  splendid 
intelligence. 

2..     Mrs.  L.,  one  of  the  brightest  journalists  of  the  coun- 


MEDIUMSHIP  DESTRUCTIVE 219 

try  at  one  time,  and  the  widow  of  a  well-known  newspaper 
correspondent,  became  interested  in  mediumship.  She  sat  for 
development  and  soon  became  a  very  remarkable  trance- 
speaking  medium. 

From  the  day  she  became  fully  convinced  that  she  was 
under  the  guidance  and  direction  of  spiritual  intelligences  she 
appeared  to  surrender  herself,  body  and  soul,  to  the  domina- 
tion and  control  of  her  "spiritual  band." 

In  less  than  two  years  she  passed  from  a  state  of  splendid 
mental  equipment,  intellectual  power  and  womanly  grace  to 
that  of  a  maundering,  mental  wreck,  more  pitiful  than  lan- 
guage can  picture. 

It  would  be  manifestly  unfair  and  equally  untrue  to  assert 
that  this  is  the  inevitable  fate  of  every  medium,  for  it  is  not. 
But  it  is  a  fact  beyond  dispute  that  in  exact  proportion  as  a 
medium  surrenders  his  power  of  self-control  and  becomes  an 
instrument  under  the  domination  and  control  of  spiritual  in- 
telligences, he  just  that  far  approaches  the  mental  condition 
here  indicated. 

Every  student  of  mediumistic  phenomena  who  will  put 
himself  in  position  to  observe  the  results  of  the  subjective 
process  upon  the  mind  of  a  medium  will  be  able  to  note  some, 
and  oftentimes  all,  of  the  following  significant  peculiarities 
and  symptoms : 

i.  One  of  the  invariable  signs  of  a  subjective,  mental 
state  on  the  part  of  a  medium  is  a  certain  far-away,  hazy, 
abstract,  introspective  or  glassy  stare  of  the  eyes. 

2..  A  gradual  and  progressive  loss  of  memory  of  things 
present. 

3.  A  growing   inability   to  hold  the   mind   intently,    for 
any  length  of  time,  upon  any  subject  which  demands  thought- 
ful study. 

4.  A  growing   inability   to  think   consecutively   or   logi- 
cally upon  any  subject  which  calls  for  analytical  thought. 

5.  A  growing  inability  to  give  undivided  attention  to  an 
ordinary  conversation. 

6.  An  increasing  tendency  to  lapse  into  a  state  of  mental 
abstraction  and  introspection. 


220      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

7.  A  gradual   and   progressive   loss   of   will   power   and 
energy  to  perform  hard  mental  labor  of  any  kind. 

8.  A  growing  suspicion  concerning  the  motives  and  in- 
tentions of  those  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact. 

9.     An  increasing  sensitiveness  to  unimportant  things. 

10.  A  growing  irritability  of  temperament. 

11.  Increasing  nervousness. 

12.  A  growing  childishness  and  vanity  concerning  little 
things. 

13.  Increasing  egotism  and  selfishness  in  almost  every- 
thing that  concerns  the  individual. 

14.  And  finally,  a  gradual  decrease  of  the  purely  intel- 
lectual activities  of  the  mind,  accompanied  by  a  correspond- 
ing increase  of  emotionalism  and  of  the  physical  appetites, 
passions  and  desires. 


MEDIUMSHIP  AND  MORALITY 221 

CHAPTER  X. 

MEDIUMSHIP  AND  MORALITY. 

III.  The  third  general  line  of  inquiry  brings  us  to  a 
consideration  of  the  moral  results  of  mediumship  upon  the 
medium  himself. 

The  discoveries  and  demonstrations  of  Natural  Science  in 
this  particular  field  of  inquiry  are  of  the  most  significant 
character  and  the  most  vital  importance.  They  should  com- 
mand the  instant  attention  and  the  most  thoughtful  considera- 
tion of  every  intelligent  individual  who  has  at  heart  either  his 
own  personal  interests  or  the  well-being  of  society.  To  no 
individual  or  class  of  individuals  are  the  known  facts  of 
science  of  such  transcendent  importance  as  to  the  medium 
himself,  and  to  those  who  are  liable  to  become  such. 

But  herein  serious  difficulties  arise.  Human  nature  is  so 
curiously  and  wonderfully  made  that  the  particular  knowl- 
edge each  individual  most  needs  is  very  often  that  which  he 
does  not  appreciate,  does  not  want,  or  does  not  care  for.  Even 
when  we  recognize  our  need  of  definite  knowledge  we  often 
refuse  to  accept  it  unless  it  comes  to  us  from  exactly  the 
source  we  expect  it  and  in  the  identical  manner  and  form  we 
demand  it. 

For  illustration :  A  minister  of  the  gospel  is  apt  to  as- 
sume that  he  knows  more  about  theology  than  a  blacksmith 
does,  and  sometimes  he  is  correct.  For  this  reason  he  refuses 
to  accept  theological  suggestions  from  such  a  source.  It  is 
just  possible,  however,  that  the  blacksmith  may  know  the 
very  thing  the  minister  most  needs  and  desires  to  know,  but 
he  will  never  be  able  to  convey  his  knowledge  for  the  simple 
reason  that  the  minister  will  not  receive  it.  The  presump- 
tion of  ignorance,  in  this  case,  is  against  the  blacksmith. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  blacksmith  would  very  likely  feel 
the  same  way  toward  the  minister  if  the  conditions  were  re- 
versed. However  much  he  might  be  in  need  of  definite 
knowledge  concerning  the  welding  of  metals,  he  would  never 
receive  it  from  the  minister,  even  though  the  latter  possessed 


222      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

it  and  were  perfectly  willing  to  impart  it.  In  this  case  the 
presumption  of  ignorance  is  against  the  minister. 

Then  again,  suppose  a  learned  scientist  should  offer  to 
instruct  the  minister  in  the  field  of  theology.  The  same  pre- 
sumption would  bar  his  way.  But  in  this  case  there  is  yet 
another  difficulty  to  be  met  and  overcome.  By  reason  of  the 
relation  which  has  existed  between  them  in  the  past,  theology 
has  come  to  look  upon  science  rather  as  an  enemy  than  a 
friend.  Men  do  not,  as  a  general  rule,  accept  favors  from 
those  whom  they  regard  as  their  enemies.  Here,  then,  the 
additional  presumption  of  hostility  or  enmity  would  also  bar 
the  way  of  the  scientist,  no  matter  how  profound  a  theologian 
he  may  be. 

Mediumship  is  not  only  a  profession,  but  an  experience, 
to  the  full  measure  of  the  medium's  wakeful  consciousness. 
To  the  same  extent  it  is  a  deeply  personal  matter  with  every 
medium.  It  enters  into  his  life  as  a  vital  and  essential  factor. 
It  gives  form  and  color  to  his  entire  world  of  thought,  feeling 
and  action.  He  therefore  assumes  to  know  more  about  it 
than  anyone  else.  In  this  case  the  presumption  of  ignorance 
is  against  whomsoever  shall  venture  to  cross  the  threshold  of 
his  own  convictions. 

Not  only  this.  His  mediumship  is  the  one  thing  which 
distinguishes  the  medium  from  ordinary  mortals.  It  leads 
many  of  his  fellows  to  regard  him  with  a  certain  degree  of 
awe  or  reverence  as  a  mysterious  being  quite  out  of  the  ordi- 
nary. Many  even  come  to  look  upon  him  as  an  oracle  of 
wonderful  wisdom.  This  flatters  him.  It  naturally  increases 
his  estimate  of  himself  and  his  own  importance,  and  corre- 
spondingly stimulates  his  pride  in  his  mediumship.  It  devel- 
ops, in  many  instances,  the  honest  though  unfortunate  con- 
viction that  the  balance  of  humanity  are  intellectual  infants 
in  comparison  with,  himself.  In  all  such  instances  pride  of 
intelligence  also  bars  the  way  of  every  one  whomsoever  hav- 
ing definite  knowledge  to  impart. 

Then  again,  in  proportion  as  mediumship  brings  to  the 
medium  fame,  notoriety  or  money,  it  becomes  to  him  a  thing 
of  value.  It  is  natural  that  he  should  prize  it  accordingly. 


MEDIUMSHIP  AND  MORALITY 223 

It  could  not  well  be  otherwise,  for  it  is  a  part  of  human 
nature  to  prize  whatever  gratifies  our  vanities  or  our  selfish 
desires.  Whatever  would  come  between  us  and  the  thing 
we  value  is,  to  us,  an  enemy  and  not  a  friend. 

These,  then,  are  the  chief  obstacles  which  stand  between 
the  medium  and  the  definite  knowledge  he  most  needs : 

1.  The  presumption  in  his  mind  that  he    alone,  of    all 
men,  knows  most  about  mediumship    and    the    mediumistic 
process. 

2.  The  presumption  in  his  own  mind  that  any  one  and 
every  one  who  is  not  a  medium  is  necessarily,  by  reason  of 
that   fact  alone,   ignorant   concerning  the   principle   and   the 
process  involved. 

3.  The  pride   of   intelligence   which  prevents   him   from 
mentally  stooping  to  those  whom  he  conscientiously  believes 
to  be  his  intellectual  inferiors. 

4.  The  honest  conviction  that  those  who  would  condemn 
his  mediumship,  for  any  cause  whatsoever,  thereby  necessarily 
condemn  him  also. 

The  sincere  desire  and  earnest  hope  of  the  writer  is  that 
his  work  may  reach  the  intelligence  and  win  the  confidence 
of  every  medium  or  student  of  mediumship  who  shall  honor 
|this  volume  with  a  careful  and  critical  reading.  Then,  and 
•then  only,  will  it  be  possible  to  lay  before  him,  in  acceptable 
form,  the  demonstrated  facts  of  science  touching  the  moral 
phases  of  mediumship  and  the  mediumistic  process. 

To  that  end  the  following  brief  statement  may,  perhaps, 
be  of  value : 

The  writer  holds  himself  to  be  the  friend  of  every  honest 
medium,  spiritualist  and  student  of  psychic  phenomena,  no 
matter  what  his  attitude  toward  this  particular  work  may 
be.  For  more  than  thirty  years  he  has  been  a  close  student 
of  psychic  phenomena  in  all  their  various  phases,  under  the 
most  favorable  conditions  possible  for  the  acquisition  of  ex- 
act and  definite  knowledge;  and  as  such,  during  that  time, 
he  has  personally  witnessed  perhaps  every  important  phase 
of  both  mediumship  and  hypnotism,  as  well  as  many  other 


224:       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

psychic  manifestations  and  phenomena  which  are  entirely  in- 
dependent of  these  processes. 

His  study  of  the  subject  has  been  pursued  in  the  spirit 
of  sympathy  and  good  faith.  His  mind  has  at  all  times  been 
as  free  from  prejudice  or  bias  as  possible  to  one  whose  cen- 
tral motive  has  been  the  acquisition  of  exact  and  definite 
knowledge  concerning  the  most  fascinating  and  absorbing 
problems  of  human  life. 

Most  of  his  immediate  relatives  and  many  of  his  most  in- 
timate personal  friends  are  known  as  active  and  leading  spir- 
itualists within  the  circle  of  their  acquaintance.  Some  of 
them  are  mediums  through  whom  a  wide  range  of  medium- 
istic  phenomena  has  been  produced.  Not  one  of  these,  how- 
ever, so  far  as  he  knows,  has  ever  given  public  seances  or 
practiced  mediumship  for  money  or  for  any  other  valuable 
consideration. 

Their  motives  and  purposes  are  in  every  respect  above 
suspicion  or  reproach,  and  their  perfect  integrity  and  good 
faith  are  beyond  all  possible  question  among  those  who  know 
them.  The  same,  it  is  believed,  can  be  said  with  equal  truth 
concerning  a  very  large  number  of  earnest  and  conscientious 
believers  in  mediumship  and  spiritualism  all  over  the  world. 

For  these  and  other  good  and  sufficient  reasons,  the  writer 
accords  to  all  such  the  most  friendly  and  courteous  considera- 
tion. He  only  asks  in  return  that  his  present  message,  which 
is  largely  intended  for  mediums,  spiritualists  and  students  of 
psychic  phenomena,  be  received  by  them  in  the  same  spirit 
of  friendly  courtesy  and  freedom  from  prejudice  or  hostility. 

With  this  personal  pledge  of  sympathy  and  good  faith,  let 
us  proceed  at  once  to  the  subject  under  consideration. 

Individual  responsibility  is  the  basis  of  morality.  This  is 
a  fact  that  is  universally  recognized  among  civilized  people. 
It  is  acknowledged  by  men  and  women  of  all  schools,  cults, 
philosophies,  creeds  and  religions.  It  is  the  fundamental 
principle  at  the  basis  of  every  form  of  government.  It  is  at 
the  foundation  of  every  social  and  moral  structure.  It  is  the 
central  principle  about  which  cluster  all  our  laws  and  codes, 
civil  and  criminal,  as  well  as  moral. 


MEDIUMSHIP  AND  MORALITY 225 

So  long  as  man  is  held  to  be  a  responsible,  individual  in- 
telligence, he  is  accountable  to  his  fellow-man  and  to  society 
for  all  his  acts,  influence  and  conduct  which  in  any  way  affect 
them.  Just  so  long  he  is  held  accountable  to  the  moral  law. 
Just  so  long  he  has  a  moral  status. 

The  moment  he  becomes  an  irresponsible,  individual  in- 
telligence, no  matter  from  what  cause  or  by  what  process, 
his  accountability  to  his  fellow-man  and  to  society,  as  well 
as  to  the  moral  law,  ceases.  He  is  at  all  times  accountable  to 
the  degree  of  his  individual  responsibility  only.  He  is  exempt 
only  to  the  degree  of  his  individual  irresponsibility.  Man's 
entire  value  as  a  member  of  society,  in  fact,  depends  upon  the 
extent  to  which  he  is  held  to  be  a  responsible,  individual  in- 
telligence. 

But  when,  or  under  what  conditions,  is  an  individual  re- 
sponsible? When,  or  under  what  conditions,  is  he  not  re- 
sponsible? In  other  words,  upon  what  does  individual  re- 
sponsibility depend? 

This  is  one  of  the  most  important  questions  ever  pro- 
pounded to  mankind.  Its  full  and  complete  analysis  will  be 
found  in  Part  III  of  this  volume.  To  avoid  repetition,  there- 
fore, the  simple  answer  will  be  given  at  this  point  without 
elaboration. 

Individual  responsibility  depends  at  all  times  upon  the 
ability  of  the  individual  to  exercise  his  volition  independ- 
ently, self-consciously  and  rationally. 

That  is  to  say,  every  individual  is  morally  responsible  for 
such  of  his  acts  and  such  only  as  he  performs  independently 
(/.  e.,  of  his  own  free  will  and  accord),  self-consciously  (i.  e., 
knowingly  and  intentionally),  and  rationally  (i.  e.,  anticipat- 
ing the  results). 

The  several  elements,  therefore,  upon  which  individual 
responsibility  depends  are: 

1.  Self-consciousness. 

2.  Independent  choice. 

3.  Reason. 

4.  Volition. 

The  degree  to  which  the  individual  is  in  possession  of  all 


226      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

these  faculties,  capacities  and  powers  marks  the  degree  of  his 
individual  responsibility  at  any  given  time.  The  degree  to 
which  he  is  not  in  possession  of  any  or  all  these,  marks  the 
degree  of  his  irresponsibility  at  any  given  time. 

It  now  becomes  possible  for  us  to  understand  and  appre- 
ciate the  moral  status  of  the  medium.  It  is  well  known  that 
the  mediumistic  process  deprives  the  medium  of  his  ability  to 
exercise  each  and  every  one  of  these  faculties,  capacities  and 
powers,  to  the  exact  degree  that  the  mediumistic  relation  is 
established. 

Mediumship,  it  will  be  remembered,  is  a  subjective,  psychic 
process.  It  is,  in  fact,  that  process  by  and  through  which 
spiritual  intelligences  obtain,  hold  and  exercise  control  of  the 
will,  voluntary  powers  and  sensory  organism  of  a  medium. 

To  the  degree  that  mediumship  exists  at  any  given  time 
it  deprives  the  medium  of  the  use  and  exercise  of  his  own 
sensory  organism.  But  his  sensory  organism  includes  all  the 
channels  through  which  his  consciousness  may  be  reached  and 
impressed.  He  is  therefore  robbed  of  his  self-consciousness 
in  just  so  far  as  he  is  deprived  of  the  use  of  his  sensory  or- 
ganism. That  is  to  say,  he  sacrifices  his  self-consciousness 
to  exactly  the  degree  that  he  surrenders  himself  to  medium- 
istic control. 

Again,  his  will  or  power  of  volition,  passes  from  his  own 
control  in  exact  proportion  and  to  the  exact  degree  that  he 
becomes  a  subject  of  mediumistic  control.  But  his  ability  to 
reason  is  also  dependent  upon  his  power  of  will  or  volition. 
Therefore,  in  just  so  far  as  he  is  at  any  time  a  subject  of 
mediumistic  control  he  is  deprived  of  the  power  of  reason. 

And  again,  the  power  of  independent  choice  is  also  de- 
pendent upon  his  will,  or  volition.  This,  therefore,  also  passes 
from  him  in  exactly  the  same  ratio. 

It  now  becomes  possible  to  clearly  state  the  following 
demonstrated  facts  of  Natural  Science  which  bear  directly 
upon  the  question  under  consideration : 

i.  In  just  so  far  as  mediumship  exists,  at  any  given  time, 
it  deprives  the  medium  of  the  ability  to  exercise  each  and 


MEDIUMSHIP  AND  MORALITY 227 

every  one  of  the  faculties,  capacities  and  powers  of  the  mind 
and  soul  upon  which  his  individual  responsibility  depends. 

2.  In   proportion  as  he  forfeits  his  individual  responsi- 
bility, he  violates    the    moral    law,  and    thereby  becomes    a 
menace  to  society. 

3.  His  moral  status  of  accountability  is  at  all  times  com- 
mensurate with  the  degree  of  his  individual  responsibility. 

4.  At  no  time  does  his  moral  status  as  an  individual  in- 
telligence rise  above  the  level  of  his  individual  responsibility. 

5.  His   individual,  moral  nature  may,  and    often    does, 
sink  very  far  below  that  level. 

6.  Mediumship,  inasmuch  as  it  divests  the  medium  of  his 
individual  responsibility,  is  a  direct  violation  of  the  moral  law, 
and  to  the  same  degree  and  for  the  same  reason  is  inimical 
to  the  rights  and  interests  of  both  the  individual  and  society. 

Up  to  this  point  we  have  considered  the  subject  from  the 
standpoint  of  the  moral  principle  alone  which  is  involved  in 
the  mediumistic  process.  We  have  clearly  defined  the  moral 
status  of  mediumship  and  the  degree  to  which  the  medium 
is  at  all  times  morally  accountable. 

It  now  becomes  necessary  to  examine  the  subject  from  the 
standpoint  of  the  actual  results  of  mediumship  as  they  trans- 
late themselves  into  the  inspirations,  emotions,  impulses,  de- 
sires, appetites,  passions,  actions  and  life  of  the  medium  him- 
self. This  is  both  a  delicate  and  a  difficult  task  and  demands 
the  utmost  care  in  order  to  avoid  the  possibility  of  misunder- 
standing, misinterpretation  or  offense. 

The  chief  psychological  distinction  between  man  and  the 
animal  is  in  the  fundamental  fact  that  the  animal  does  not  rise 
to  the  level  of  moral  accountability,  while  man  does.  In 
other  words,  the  animal  has  no  moral  status,  while  man  has. 
The  animal,  therefore,  is  exempt  from  the  obligations  of  indi- 
vidual responsibility,  while  man  is  not. 

But  why  is  the  animal  not  a  responsible,  individual  intelli- 
gence? Why  has  he  not  risen  to  the  level  of  moral  account- 
ability? 

There  is  but  one  answer.  It  is  because  the  animal  nature 
and  development  are  devoid  of  the  soul  attributes — those  fac- 


228      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

ulties,  capacities  and  powers — upon  which  individual  respon- 
sibility depends.  If  the  animal  possessed  these  attributes  of 
the  soul  he  would  be  both  individually  responsible  and  mor- 
ally accountable  under  the  law  of  his  being.  Without  them, 
however,  he  is  neither  individually  responsible  nor  morally 
accountable. 

Indeed,  it  would  almost  appear  that  in  the  stupendous 
scheme  of  evolution  Nature,  or  Universal  Intelligence,  has 
been  engaged  in  a  process  of  evolving  an  order  of  intelligence 
upon  which  it  could  shift  the  burden  of  individual  responsi- 
bility for  its  acts  and  conduct  beyond  that  point.  In  man  it 
has  achieved  that  end. 

In  other  words,  at  man's  evolutionary  estate  it  would 
appear  that  Nature,  or  Universal  Intelligence,  weans  the  indi- 
vidual, as  it  were,  and  then,  putting  into  his  hands  the  key 
to  his  own  destiny,  charges  him  with  the  burden  of  individ- 
ual responsibility  and  thereby  confers  upon  him  a  moral 
status.  That  is  to  say,  man,  as  a  responsible  individual,  is 
charged  with  the  burden  of  self-control.  The  animal  is  not. 

Man  possesses  those  peculiar  attributes  of  the  soul — self- 
consciousness,  independent  choice,  reason  and  •  volition — 
which,  acting  together,  give  him  dominion  and  power  over 
that  part  of  his  nature  we  differentiate  as  animal,  and,  ac- 
cordingly, he  is  thereby  charged  with  the  individual  responsi- 
bility of  regulating  and  controlling  all  his  animal  appetites, 
passions,  emotions,  desires  and  propensities.  By  such  self- 
control,  and  such  alone,  he  lifts  himself  forever  higher  and 
higher  above  the  level  of  animal  life  and  nature. 

The  animal,  on  the  other  hand,  being  devoid  of  those  attri- 
butes of  the  soul  which  charge  it  with  the  duty  of  self-con- 
trol, lives  out  its  animal  nature  without  check  or  hindrance. 
Living  thus  upon  the  plane  of  physical  nature,  it  lives  only 
in  the  physical  appetites,  passions,  impulses,  emotions  and  de- 
sires, and  lives  solely  to  gratify  them  to  the  fullest  extent 
possible  under  its  environment. 

The  man  who  continually  fails,  neglects  or  refuses  to  dis- 
charge his  individual  responsibility  by  the  exercise  of  self- 
control  of  all  the  elements  of  his  nature,  inevitablv  sinks  to 


MEDIUMSHIP  AND  MORALITY 229 

the  level  of  animal  life.  Tnere  is  no  other  destiny  for  him. 
And  in  exact  proportion  as  he  fails,  neglects  or  refuses  to 
discharge  this  duty  or  obligation  which  God  or  Nature  has 
fixed  upon  him,  just  because  he  is  a  man,  in  like  proportion 
he  approaches  the  level  of  animal  nature.  There  is  no  escape 
from  this  result. 

Mediumship  deprives  the  medium  of  the  ability  to  exer- 
cise each  and  every  one  of  those  attributes  of  the  soul  upon 
which  his  individual  responsibility  depends,  in  just  so  far  as 
he  is  affected  by  the  mediumistic  process  at  any  given  time. 
In  equal  measure,  therefore,  as  this  becomes  a  fixed  and  per- 
manent result  of  mediumship,  the  medium  is  deprived  of  the 
power  of  self-control,  and  necessarily  sinks  toward  the  level 
of  his  animal  nature.  This  is  the  law  of  spiritual  gravity. 

In  exact  proportion  as  the  individual  loses  the  power  of 
self-control,  or  voluntarily  suspends  its  exercise,  the  check 
upon  his  animal  nature  is  relaxed  and  the  restraint  upon  his 
animal  appetites,  passions,  emotions,  desires  and  propensities 
is  removed.  This  is  inevitable.  Every  man  and  every  woman 
living  has  no  doubt  demonstrated  a  thousand  times  over  the 
operation  of  this  law  of  Nature. 

Harsh  and  unlovely  and  revolting  as  the  thought  may  be 
when  set  out  in  cold,  unsympathetic  type,  it  is  nevertheless  a 
fact  which  we  must  all  face,  whether  we  be  mediums  or  not, 
and  from  which  there  is  no  escape. 

Inasmuch  as  mediumship  slowly  but  surely  destroys  the 
individual  power  of  self-control,  its  inevitable  tendency  is 
toward  animalism.  The  law  is  inexorable. 

This  is  neither  an  idle  fancy,  an  unhappy  theory  nor  a 
troubled  dream  which  waking  intelligence  may  dispel  or  dis- 
prove. It  is  an  uncompromising  fact  of  Nature,  as  patent  as 
that  an  apple,  severed  from  the  limb  on  which  it  grows  will 
fall  to  the  ground.  The  force  which  carries  the  apple  down 
we  name  gravity. 

When  its  natural  sustaining  power,  the  power  of  self-con- 
trol, is  neutralized,  suspended  or  destroyed,  the  gravity  of  the 
soul,  like  that  of  the  apple,  carries  it  downward  toward  the 
plane  of  the  earthly  animal. 


230      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

It  needs  but  an  intimate  acquaintance  with  the  daily  lives 
and  practices  of  those  who  follow  mediumship  as  a  profession 
or  business  to  find  the  unanswerable  demonstration  of  this 
melancholy  fact. 

It  will  be  observed  that  this  statement  has  special  refer- 
ence to 'professional  mediums  only.  There  are  very  definite 
reasons  for  this  particular  limitation,  viz. : 

1.  There  are  thousands  of  non-professional  mediums  all 
over  the  world,  known  only  among  their  friends  and  acquain- 
tances as  such,  who  devote  little  or  no  time,  thought  or  atten- 
tion to  the  mediumistic  process.     Their  development,  there- 
fore, has  not  been  carried  to  a  point  where  its  results  may 
be  clearly  and  unmistakably  formulated  and  defined  with  ac- 
curacy. 

2.  The  professional  medium,  with  sufficiently  rare  excep- 
tions to  clearly  establish  the  rule,  devotes  enough  of  his  time 
and  energy  to  the  active  practice  of  mediumship  to  reach,  in 
time,  a  state  of  more  or  less  complete  psychic  subjectivity. 
The  effects  of  the  process  upon  his  life  and  character  are  ob- 
servable in  proportion  as  he  yields  himself  to  its  domination 
and  control. 

But  what  of  the  statistical  facts?  Do  they  verify  or  dis- 
prove the  principle  here  declared?  Let  us  see. 

From  the  class  of  mediums  whose  development  has  been 
sufficient  to  establish  definite  and  unqualified  results,  science 
has  gathered  and  is  able  to  formulate  and  present  the  follow- 
ing verified  results  of  the  mediumistic  process  upon  the  me- 
dium, viz. : 

1.  Seventy-three  per  cent,  of  the  professional  mediums 
referred  to  sooner  or  later  develop  abnormally  increased  and 
uncontrollable  sexual  passions,  while  as  high  as  ninety-two 
per  cent,  show  marked  increase  of  the  sexual  appetite  or  de- 
sire. 

2.  A  fraction  over  sixty  per  cent,  develop  hysterical  or 
ungovernable  temper,  while  as  high  as  eighty-five  per  cent, 
show  marked  increase  of  nervous  irritability. 

3.  Fifty-eight   per   cent,   develop   dishonesty    and   fraud, 


MEDIUMSHIP  AND  MORALITY 231 

while  ninety-five  per  cent,  show  lack  of  moral  discrimination 
and  courage. 

'  4.  A  fraction  over  seventy  per  cent,  develop  inordinate 
vanity,  while  ninety-two  per  cent,  become  more  or  less  ego- 
tistical. 

5.  As  high  as  ninety-eight  per  cent,  develop  some  discov- 
erable form  of  selfishness,  sensuous  desire,  emotional  weak- 
ness or  degrading  physical  appetite. 

6.  In  no  instance  does  the  process  develop  marked  indi- 
vidual improvement  from  a  moral  standpoint. 

In  order  that  no  injustice  may  be  done  the  individual  me- 
dium, it  is  proper  to  explain  that  the  results  here  given  arise 
from  two  distinct  and  separate  causes,  viz. : 

1.  Natural  degeneracy  of  the  medium  as  a  direct  result 
of  the  mediumistic  process. 

2.  The  direct  and  overwhelming  domination  of  vicious 
controls. 

No  attempt  has  been  made  to  determine  the  percentage 
of  results  separately  due  to  each  of  these  causes.  In  fact,  it 
has  not  been  deemed  necessary,  inasmuch  as  both  classes  of 
results  are  directly  referable  to  the  mediumistic  process,  and 
both  find  their  expression  in  the  life  and  conduct  of  the 
medium. 

From  whatever  point  these  facts  may  be  viewed,  their 
meaning  is  perfectly  plain.  They  speak  for  themselves  in 
tones  which  should  be  heard  by  all  the  children  of  earth, 
both  now  and  throughout  all  the  generations  yet  to  come. 
They  clearly  and  unmistakably  identify  the  principle  back  of 
the  mediumistic  process  as  The  Destructive  Principle  of 
Nature  in  'Individual  Life. 

RECAPITULATION. 

Briefly  recapitulating  the  last  two  chapters,  there  are  two 
general  classes  of  results  which  flow  from  the  mediumistic 
process,  viz. : 

I.     Those  which  do  not  affect  the  medium.     These  are : 
i.     Those  which  affect  such  of  the  sitters  as  are  not  in 


232       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

the  least  mediumistically  inclined.     Three  classes  fall  under 
this  head,  viz. : 

(a)  Those  whose  faith  in  another  life  is  thereby  estab- 
lished, and  who  appear  to  be  happier  therefor.    Results,  seem- 
ingly good. 

(b)  Those  who  are  convinced  of  another  life,  but  who 
are  wholly  misled  as  to  the  character  of  intelligence  which 
inhabits  the  spiritual  world.     Results,  bad. 

(c)  Those  who  are  convinced  that  the  whole  thing  is  a 
fraud  from  beginning  to  end.     Results,  bad. 

2.  Results  of  the  mediumistic  process  which  affect  those 
sitters  who  are  not  developed  mediums,  but  who  are  more  or 
less  sensitive  to  mediumistic  influence.     Results,  very  bad. 

3.  Those  which  affect  the  spiritual  controls  who  partici- 
pate in  the  mediumistic  process.     Results,  all  bad. 

II.  Those  results  of  the  mediumistic  process  upon  the 
medium  himself.  These  divide  themselves  into  three  distinct 
classes,  as  follows : 

1.  The  purely  physical  results,  which  are: 

(a)  Immediate.    All  bad. 

(b)  Subequent.    All  bad. 

2.  The  purely  mental  results,  which  are : 

(a)  Immediate.     All  bad. 

(b)  Subsequent.     All  bad. 

3.  The  purely  moral  results.     All  bad. 


MEDIUMSHIP  AND  MARTYRDOM  233 

CHAPTER  XI. 

MEDIUMSHIP  AND  MARTYRDOM. 

Mediumship  is  a  martyrdom.  Moreover,  it  is  a  martyr- 
dom which  is  both  cruel  and  unnecessary.  The  cause  which 
it  is  supposed  to  represent  neither  needs  nor  demands  martyr- 
dom of  anyone. 

Perhaps  among  all  the  varied  classes  and  conditions  of 
society  no  individual  man  or  woman  upon  .the  physical  plane 
of  life  is  more  cruelly  imposed  upon  than  is  the  honest  and 
conscientious  medium. 

Indeed,  the  pitiless  deceptions  and  relentless  brutalities 
practiced  upon  these  honest,  simple-minded  and  credulous 
souls  by  unscrupulous,  selfish  and  vicious  spiritual  controls, 
in  order  to  insure  their  willing  and  continued  submission  to 
the  mediumistic  process,  should  command  the  generous  sym- 
pathy and  unfeigned  pity  of  every  honest  lover  of  fair  play. 
It  should  also  stimulate  an  indignant  protest  in  the  mind  of 
every  one  who  has  even  the  most  limited  appreciation  of  what 
we  know  as  common  decency  and  honor. 

In  order  to  understand  and  appreciate  this  phase  of  the 
subject  as  it  deserves,  it  is  necessary  to  call  specific  attention 
to  the  following  facts  of  spiritual  nature  which  have  been 
demonstrated  by  Natural  Science.  Some  of  these  facts  are 
also  fully  verified  by  spiritualists  and  mediums  themselves 
as  well  as  .by  the  spiritual  intelligences  who  speak  through 
them : 

i.  The  mere  putting  off  or  dispensing  with  the  physical 
body  at  physical  death  does  not  in  the  least  alter  the  essen- 
tial nature  or  character  of  the  individual  himself.  He  is  ex- 
actly the  same,  minus  the  encumbrance  of  the  physical  body. 
He  is  neither  essentially  better  nor  essentially  worse.  He  is 
neither  wiser  nor  more  honest.  He  enters  that  life  precisely 
as  he  leaves  this.  His  moral  status  is  neither  higher  nor 
lower.  He  carries  with  him  into  that  life  all  the  predominat- 
ing habits,  appetites,  passions,  desires,  propensities  and  ambi- 
tions which  have  governed  him  in  this. 


234      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

2.  There  are  known  to  be  thirteen  distinct  spheres  or  con- 
ditions of  life  connected  with  this  planet,  through  which  the 
individual  man  and  woman  must  pass  in  their  evolutionary 
flight  from  the  lowest  to  the  highest.     These  different  states 
or  conditions  of  life  have  come  to  be  known,  through  spirit- 
ualistic philosophy  and  terminology,  as  "spheres."     The  term 
is  perhaps  as  appropriate  as  any  that  could  be  employed,  and 
because  of  its  familiarity  to  most  students  will  be  used  in 
this  connection.. 

3.  These  spheres  represent  definite  locality  in  their  rela- 
tion to  the  planet,  as  well  as  a  definite  state  of  being  in  rela- 
tion to  those  who  inhabit  them. 

That  is  to  say,  denominating  this  present  physical  environ- 
ment, condition  and  state  of  being  as  the  first  sphere,  the 
second  immediately  surrounds  and  encloses  the  first,  the  third 
encloses  the  second,  the  fourth  encloses  the  third,  and  so  on 
through  to  the  thirteenth,  which  in  like  manner  encloses  the 
other  twelve.  Thus,  in  point  of  relative  location,  an  ascent  of 
the  individual  from  the  first  sphere  to  the  thirteenth  takes 
him  with  each  advance  further  and  further  outward  (or  up- 
ward, as  we  are  accustomed  to  say)  from  the  earth's  surface. 

These  spheres,  in  like  manner,  represent  an  ever  increas- 
ing degree  of  material  refinement  and  vibratory  activity,  as 
well  as  an  intellectual  achievement,  a  spiritual  refinement,  a 
mental  attainment  and  a  moral  power. 

4.  The  first  seven  spheres  of  life  are  known  to  Natural 
Science   as   "Terrestrial    Spheres,"   and   the    remaining-    six 
(numbering  from  the  eighth  to  the  thirteenth,  inclusive)  are 
known  as  "Celestial  Spheres." 

The  specific  reason  for  this  distinction  is  most  interesting 
and  important,  but  not  within  the  scope  and  purpose  of  this 
volume.  It  is  sufficient  to  note  the  fact  at  this  point  that 
through  mediumship  spiritualists  have  learned  to  accept,  in 
a  vague  and  indefinite  way,  the  fact  that  there  are  at  least 
seven  spheres  of  life  connected  with  this  planet.  The  informa- 
tion filtered  through  the  mediumistic  process  concerning  them, 
however,  has  been  so  meager,  uncertain  and  contradictory 


MEDIUMSHIP  AND  MARTYRDOM  235 

as  to  convey  but  a  dim  and  indistinct  impression  as  to  their 
real  existence,  their  nature,  their  relation  or  their  meaning. 

It  is  undoubtedly  true,  however,  that  the  seven  spheres 
of  spiritualism  represent  a  very  incomplete  and  imperfect 
conception  of  the  seven  terrestrial  spheres  of  Natural  Science. 

A  vast  store  of  exact  and  definite  knowledge  concerning 
these  several  spheres  of  life  and  activity  has  been  accumu- 
lated. The  subject  is  also  one  of  absorbing  interest  and  of 
the  most  vital  importance,  but  inasmuch  as  it  does  not  fall 
within  the  limitations  of  this  work,  it  must  be  reserved  for 
another  volume  of  this  series. 

5.  The  individual  man  or  woman  who  attains  to  these 
several  spheres  does  so  by  and  through  his  or  her  individual 
effort,  and  in  accordance  with  the  natural  law  of  individual 
development  and  evolutionary  progress.  There  is  absolutely 
no  other  means  or  method  of  advancement.  It  is  the  law  of 
life.  Nature,  in  this  respect  at  least,  appears  to  have  no 
favorites.  Individual  advancement  means  always  and  every- 
where individual  effort  in  right  lines.  Individual  laziness  or 
indolence,  as  well  as  individual  effort  in  wrong  directions, 
means  retrogression,  always.  There  are  no  exceptions. 

This  would  seem  to  indicate  that  our  individual  faculties, 
capacities  and  powers  were  given  us  for  a  very  specific  and 
definite  purpose.  If  we  would  reach  the  mountain  top  we 
must  climb.  We  cannot  ride  upon  the  shoulders  of  our  fel- 
lows. We  cannot  furnish  a  proxy  to  do  the  climbing  while 
we  use  the  field  glass  and  enjoy  the  scenery. 

Each  of  these  several  spheres  of  life,  therefore,  may  be 
said  to  measure  very  accurately  the  amount  of  individual 
effort  necessary  to  achieve  that  particular  level  of  progressive 
development.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  the  attainment  of  each 
successive  sphere  of  life  brings  to  the  individual  its  own 
peculiar  reward.  God,  or  Nature,  seems  to  have  made  each 
particular  sphere  of  life  a  treasure-house  to  which  each  indi- 
vidual is  given  a  key  at  entrance. 

Each  sphere,  therefore,  is  inhabited  by  those  and  those 
only  who,  by  individual  effort,  have  climbed  to  its  level  and 
earned  the  right  to  enter  and  share  its  rewards.  Thus,  under 


236      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

the  natural  law  of  spiritual  gravity,  each  individual  of  the 
spiritual  world  inevitably  finds  the  exact  level  to  which  his 
particular  development  corresponds. 

6.  Under  this  law  of  spiritual  gravity  the  second  spirit- 
ural  sphere  (the  first  beyond  the  physical)  is  the  natural 
abiding  place  of  those  who  represent  the  lowest  degrees  of 
spiritual  development.  This  does  not  necessarily  mean  the 
lowest  in  point  of  intelligence.  The  distinction  here  suggested 
is  of  the  utmost  importance,  and  would  seem  to  justify  the 
following  brief  explanation : 

Spiritual  development  does  not  consist  of  intellectual  de- 
velopment alone,  although  intelligence  is  a  primary  and  funda- 
mental element  of  it.  Neither  does  it  consist  of  moral  devel- 
opment alone,  although  morality  is  a  basic  and  necessary  prin- 
ciple involved  in  it.  Nor  does  it  consist  in  the  acquisition  of 
knowledge  alone,  although  knowledge  is  an  important  and 
indispensable  ingredient  of  it. 

The  fact  is  that  it  involves  all  these  elements  with  some- 
thing added.  The  spiritual  development  of  an  individual  is, 
in  truth,  measured  by  the  intelligence  with  which  he  applies 
his  knowledge  to  the  accomplishment  of  moral  purposes. 

An  individual  may,  therefore,  possess  a  wealth  of  knowl- 
edge which  he  does  not  intelligently  apply  to  any  purpose 
whatever.  Or  he  may  possess  the  same  knowledge  and  in- 
telligently apply  but  a  mere  fraction  of  it  to  the  accomplish- 
ment of  moral  purposes.  He  may,  in  like  manner,  possess 
vast  knowledge  and  intelligently  apply  the  whole  of  it  to  the 
accomplishment  of  vicious  and  immoral  purposes.  In  each  of 
these  cases,  even  though  he  possesses  great  knowledge  and 
fine  intelligence,  he  would  nevertheless  represent  a  low  order 
of  spiritual  development,  and  would  gravitate  to  the  spiritual 
sphere  corresponding  thereto. 

Thus,  it  will  be  seen  that  while  intelligence,  morality  and 
knowledge  are  all  essential  elements  of  spiritual  growth  and 
development,  it  requires  the  three  in  relative  combination  in 
the  life  of  an  individual  to  determine  his  spiritual  gravity. 

This  will  explain  why  it  is  that  powerful  intelligences, 
through  the  degrading  influence  of  vicious  habits  and  evil 


237 


practices,  may  and  often  do  gravitate  to  the  lowest  plane  of 
spiritual  life.  It  will  also  suggest  why  it  is' that  ignorance  on 
the  one  hand  and  indolence  on  the  other  serve  as  "sinkers"  to 
prevent  many  an  otherwise  qualified  individual  from  rising 
to  higher  and  more  exalted  planes  of  spiritual  life  and  being. 

We  are  now  in  position  to  understand  and  appreciate  the 
fact  above  stated  that  the  first  sphere  beyond  that  of  the 
physical  is  the  natural  and  inevitable  abiding  place  of  the 
ignorant,  the  indolent,  the  selfishly  ambitious,  the  immoral, 
the  vicious  and  the  depraved  who  have  passed  from  this  life. 

But  this,  it  will  be  remembered,  is  the  sphere  which  lies 
closest  to  earth  and  therefore  nearest  the  plane  of  physical 
life.  This  is  a  most  important  fact,  for  it  means  that  in  point 
of  locality,  at  least,  man  in  the  physical  body  is  more  closely 
in  touch  with  the  spiritual  world  of  ignorance,  indolence,  im- 
morality and  vice  than  he  is  with  that  of  wisdom,  virtue  and 
truth. 

This  is  the  great  fundamental  fact  which  mediums  and 
spiritualists  generally  appear  to  overlook  and  ignore.  And 
yet,  it  is  the  one  fact  of  all  facts  which  should  stand  as  a 
perpetual  warning  to  all  mankind  against  the  practice  of  hyp- 
notism, mediumship  and  all  other  subjective  psychic  pro- 
cesses. 

The  experience  of  mediums  themselves  and  the  observa- 
tions of  every  honest  and  intelligent  student  and  investigator 
of  mediumistic  phenomena  all  bear  eloquent  testimony  con- 
cerning the  intellectual  and  moral  status  or  level  of  the  aver- 
age spiritual  control. 

Indeed,  the  question  has  often  been  asked  by  intelligent 
students  of  psychic  phenomena  why  it  is  that  the  "departed 
spirits"  of  American  Indians  constitute  so  large  and  impor- 
tant a  percentage  of  mediumistic  controls.  Neither  mediums 
nor  spiritualists  generally  have  thus  far  returned  a  satisfac- 
tory answer.  The  problem,  however,  is  a  "simple  one  to  those 
who  understand  the  law  of  spiritual  gravity  above  referred  to. 

The  American  Indian  is  essentially  a  "child  of  earth." 
His  intelligence,  habits  of  life  and  standard  of  morality  are 
such  that  when  he  passes  to  the  "Happy  Hunting-Ground" 


23S      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

the  law  of  spiritual  gravity  binds  him  very  closely  to  the 
plane  of  physical  nature.  He  finds  himself  among  that  vast 
and  innumerable  multitude  known  to  science  as  ''earth-bound" 
souls.  He  is  thus,  by  the  very  law  of  his  being,  brought  into 
close  touch  and  intimate  relationship  with  men  and  women 
upon  the  physical  side  of  life. 

He  enters  the  spiritual  life  just  as  he  leaves  this  life.  He 
is  neither  better  nor  worse  for  the  change.  He  is  neither  wiser 
nor  more  honest.  He  carries  with  him  the  same  habits  of 
life,  the  same  appetites,  passions,  desires,  impulses,  emotions, 
ambitions  and  proclivities,  with  the  same  unrestrained  will 
to  indulge  them.  Many  of  these  he  finds  himself  unable  to 
gratify  upon  the  spiritual  plane,  because  he  is  deprived  of  the 
physical  organism  to  which  they  were  related  and  to  which 
alone  they  respond. 

But  he  is  not  slow  in  learning  the  important  fact  that 
through  the  power  of  hypnotism  he  may,  by  the  exercise  of 
his  indomitable  will,  gain  control  of  the  physical  organism  of 
some  physically  embodied  individual  and  through  this  as  an 
instrument  find  the  means  of  partially  gratifying  the  grosser 
appetites,  passions  and  desires  of  his  nature.  He  therefore 
finds  him  a  "medium,"  to  whom  he  attaches  himself,  and  by 
the  power  of  his  imperious  will  subjects  to  his  domination 
and  control.  Through  the  physical  organism  of  his  medium 
he  thus  finds  the  channels  through  which  to  partially  gratify 
his  lower  nature.  By  means  of  a  subtle  fiction  he  appoints 
himself  as  his  medium's  "spiritual  guardian,"  and  thus  estab- 
lishes a  relation  which  is  satisfactory  to  him,  only  in  so  far 
as  it  enables  him  to  gratify  his  own  personal  desires. 

Again,  the  question  is  often  asked  by  intelligent  students, 
why  it  is  that  the  standard  of  intelligence  and  morality  among 
mediumistic  controls  is,  on  the  average,  so  much  lower  than 
that  of  the  medium,  and  why  they  practice  so  much  wilful 
deception  and  deliberate  dishonesty. 

The  answer  (usually  given  by  the  controls  themselves 
through  the  lips  of  their  mediums)  is  to  the  effect  that  they 
are  unable  to  use  the  organism  of  the  medium  with  perfect 
facility.  Thus,  they  claim  that  the  mind  of  the  medium  often 


MEDIUMSHIP  AND  MARTYRDOM  239 

asserts  itself,  to  a  certain  degree,  and  says  things,  or  causes 
them  to  say  things,  which  they  do  not  intend  to  say. 

While  this  would  appear  to  have  an  element  of  plausibility 
in  it,  and  seems  to  be  acceptable  to  spiritualists  generally, 
it  is  nevertheless  an  ingenious  falsehood  invented  for  the  ex- 
press purpose  of  covering  a  deliberate  fraud  which  the  me- 
dium would  not  tolerate  if  he  knew  it. 

A  significant  fact  bearing  upon  this  phase  of  the  subject 
is  that  the  controls  never  attempt  to  correct  these  falsehoods 
of  their  own  accord.  They  invariably  wait  until  they  are 
caught  in  them  and  then  attempt  to  shift  the  blame  upon  the 
innocent  and  helpless  medium  who  is  entirely  irresponsible. 
This  is  both  cowardly  and  unjust.  ' 

The  correct  answer  to  these  important  and  searching  ques- 
tions is  doubtless  already  anticipated.  The  coarse,  the  vulgar, 
the  licentious,  the  dishonest,  the  ignorant,  the  vicious,  the 
vainly  ambitious  and  the  immoral  in  general  who  pass  from 
this  life,  under  the  operation  of  the  law  of  spiritual  gravity, 
find  their  immediate  abiding  place  in  the  first  spiritual  sphere. 
They  are  therefore  closely  bound  to  the  plane  of  physical 
nature  for  the  time  being. 

They  find  themselves  still  possessed  of  the  same  appetites, 
passions,  desires,  habits,  selfish  ambitions  and  propensities  in 
which  they  were  most  intently  absorbed  while  in  the  physical 
body.  Many  of  these  they  are  unable  to  gratify  from  spirit- 
ual nature  alone.  They  find,  however,  that  through  the  hyp- 
notic process  they  are  able  to  attach  themselves  to  those  yet 
in  the  flesh.  By  so  doing  they  are  able  to  obtain  partial  grat- 
ification of  their  evil  passions  and  vicious  habits  through  the 
physical  organisms  of  their  subjects.  For  this  purpose,  and 
this  alone,  they  adopt  the  profession  of  spiritual  controls. 
They  then  proceed  to  locate  mediums  whom  they  can  control, 
and  through  these  they  educate  others.  By  the  aid  of  the 
mediumistic  process  they  are  able  to  find  partial  gratification 
of  their  grosser  appetites,  passions  and  desires. 

But  in  order  that  they  shall  not  unwittingly  disclose  their 
real  designs  and  thereby  incur  the  hostility  of  their  mediums, 
they  adopt  the  cunning  pretense  of  unselfish  devotion  to  the 


240      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

cause  of  spiritualism.  By  this  means  they  beguile  their  me- 
diums into  a  willing  submission  and  a  ready  co-operation.  It 
is  not  infrequently  the  case  that  more  than  one  hundred  spir- 
itual controls  thus  use  the  same  medium  regularly  to  obtain 
gratification  of  their  various  evil  passions  and  selfish  desires. 
The  world  in  general  knows  nothing  whatever  of  this  phase 
of  mediumship,  save  as  the  results  are  registered  upon  the 
life  of  the  medium.  Even  the  medium  himself  is  often  de- 
ceived as  to  the  purpose,  though  fully  aware  of  the  harmful 
results  to  himself.  Like  the  patient  martyr  that  he  is,  he  ac- 
cepts his  degradation  as  a  duty  in  the  mistaken  belief  that 
it  is  for  the  benefit  of  humanity. 

A  definite  illustration  will  serve  to  develop  the  principle 
more  clearly: 

A  few  years  ago  there  lived  in  one  of  our  western  cities 
a  man  well  known  to  the  writer,  whom  we  will  designate  as 
Col.  B.  He  was  a  confirmed  drunkard  and  likewise  afflicted 
with  nearly  all  the  vices  that  usually  accompany  that  particu- 
lar habit.  He  died,  and  the  medical  certificate  read,  "Chronic 
Alcoholism." 

At  the  time  of  his  death,  and  for  some  years  thereafter, 
there  lived  in  the  same  town  a  rising  young  merchant,  who 
will  be  designated  as  Mr.  H.  The  latter  knew  Col.  B.  well 
during  his  lifetime  and  had  a  great  sympathy  for  him  in  his 
depravity,  although  up  to  that  time  Mr.  H.  had  never  tasted 
liquor  in  his  life.  Neither  of  these  men  knew  anything  about 
mediumship  and  had  no  interest  whatever  in  the  lines  of 
psychical  inquiry. 

About  three  months  after  Col.  B.'s  death  Mr.  H.  started 
out  from  his  place  of  business  one  morning,  went  directly  to 
one  of  the  leading  saloons  of  the  city  and  began  drinking  and 
carousing  like  a  man  who  had  been  addicted  to  the  habit  for 
years.  After  three  days  of  debauchery  he  appeared  at  "his 
store  and  took  up  the  line  of  his  duties  as  if  nothing  had  hap- 
pened. 

His  friends  who  expostulated  with  him  found,  to  their 
great  surprise,  that  he  had  no  remembrance  of  the  incident 
whatever.  The  only  thing  he  could  recall  was  the  fact  that 


MEDIUMSHIP  AND  MARTYRDOM  241 

while  he  stood  behind  the  counter  of  his  store  on  the  morning 
of  his  alleged  fall,  there  suddenly  appeared  before  him  the 
form  of  Col.  B.,  whom  he  knew  to  be  dead. 

A  few  days  later  he  started  out  in  the  same  manner  and 
repeated  his  former  three  days'  carouse.  During  this  time  the 
writer  saw  him  a  number  of  times  and  questioned  him  closely. 
He  declared  that  he  was  not  Mr.  H.  at  all,  but  was  Col.  B., 
and  that  he  was  back  among  the  boys  having  a  good  time,  and 
did  not  care  to  be  bothered  with  silly  questions. 

These  periodical  relapses  continued  for  several  months, 
during  which  time  the  writer  obtained  the  following  statement, 
in  substance,  from  Col.  B.  concerning  his  experiences  upon  the 
spiritual  side  of  life : 

When  he  first  wakened  upon  the  spiritual  plane  he  did  not 
know  what  had  happened.  He  could  not  understand  that  he 
was  in  another  world.  It  took  him  some  time  to  realize  that 
he  was  a  spirit  instead  of  a  human  being.  This  was  all  the 
more  difficult  because  he  felt  all  the  old  appetites,  passions 
and  desires  of  the  flesh  as  keenly  as  before  the  transition. 

When  he  came  to  know  that  there  is  no  process  by  which 
these  purely  physical  demands  can  be  satisfied  by  purely  spir- 
itual means,  he  began  his  search  for  some  other  method  by 
which  to  accomplish  that  result.  He  visited  saloon  after 
saloon  and  there  mingled  as  closely  as  possible  with  those  who 
.were  drinking  and  carousing.  He  found  that  the  atmosphere 
and  magnetic  conditions  of  the  saloon  and  the  drunkard  had 
a  satisfying  effect  upon  his  condition.  The  more  closely  he 
could  approach  the  drunken  man  in  the  flesh  the  more  di- 
rectly he  was  able  to  absorb  from  him  the  stimulating  effect 
of  the  liquor  he  had  drank. 

This  fact  led  him  to  the  study  and  practice  of  mediumistic 
control,  in  order  that  he  might  thereby  be  able  to  approach 
more  closely  the  plane  of  physical  nature  and  obtain  more 
directly  the  desired  results. 

He  then  began  his  search  for  some  one  whom  he  could 
control  and  use  as  an  instrument  through  which  to  gratify 
his  insatiable  craving  for  drink.  Mr.  H.  proved  to  be  that  in- 
dividual. He  had  compelled  him  to  drink  in  order  that 


242       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

through  the  channels  of  his  physical  organism  he  might  ab- 
sorb some  of  the  effects  of  liquor  and  thereby  obtain  partial 
satisfaction  of  his  craving  appetite.  He  thus  used  him  as 
long  as  his  physical  organism  would  stand  the  strain.  When 
he  had  reached  the  limit  of  physical  endurance  he  would  re- 
lease his  victim  for  a  time  in  order  that  he  might  regain  his 
physical  vigor  and  thus  be  able  again  to  undergo  the  same 
ordeal. 

Through  a  course  of  education  and  medical  treatment  both 
parties  were  made  to  understand  the  principle  involved  and 
the  chain  of  relationship  was  ultimately  broken.  This  was  a 
case  of  periodical  obsession.  Although  an  extreme  case  of 
its  kind,  it  nevertheless  represents  the  principle  and  the  pro- 
cess involved  in  the  largest  number  of  cases  of  periodical 
drunkenness.  Such  cases  can  be  cured  very  readily  when 
properly  understood.  The  treatment,  however,  is  not  cov- 
ered by  the  materia  medica  of  the  recognized  schools  of  medi- 
cine. 

In  the  largest  number  of  instances  the  individual  is  at  no 
time  so  far  controlled  as  to  become  entirely  unconscious  of 
his  environment  or  of  his  own  acts.  He  is  simply  impelled 
by  a  power  which  he  cannot  resist. 

Whenever  this  semi-condition  obtains  it  is  just  so  much 
more  difficult  for  the  spiritual  intelligences  to  command  the 
forces  necessary  to  effect  the  desired  result. 

Unless  a  medium  is  in  full  sympathy  with  the  purposes 
of  his  controls  it  becomes  necessary  for  them  to  invent  a  cun- 
ning fiction  of  some  kind  which  shall  overcome  all  opposition 
on  the  part  of  the  medium  and  if  possible  win  his  active  co- 
operation. The  artfulness  with  which  this  is  often  accom- 
plished is  suggested  by  the  following  incident  which  came 
under  the  writer's  personal  observation : 

In  1892  a  personal  acquaintance  of  the  writer,  a  Mr.  W., 
was  a  successful  business  man  of  Chicago.  He  was  a  man 
of  fine  intelligence,  finished  education,  unimpeachable  moral 
character  and  a  devoutly  religious  nature.  Through  the  prac- 
tice of  asceticism  and  the  introspective  tendencies  of  an  emo- 
tional religious  devotion,  he  gradually  fell  into  a  negative 


MEDIUMSHIP  AND  MARTYRDOM  243 

condition  of  both  mind  and  body.  As  a  result  he  became  ex- 
tremely sensitive  to  his  spiritual  environment. 

As  often  occurs  under  similar  conditions,  he  at  length  be- 
gan to  hear  a  voice  "from  out  the  silence."  It  spoke  to  him, 
called  him  by  name,  and  told  him  that  the  voice  he  heard  was 
indeed  the  voice  of  the  Son  of  God,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
To  him  who  had  prayed  to  the  Master  daily  for  many  years, 
this  seemed  the  most  natural  thing  in  the  world.  It  came 
as  if  it  were  a  direct  answer  to  prayer.  It  appealed  to  his 
religious  sense  and  satisfied  his  emotional  desires. 

But  after  the  voice  of  the  "Master"  came  other  voices. 
Those  of  Moses,  Aaron,  Elijah,  Paul,  Peter,  John,  Thomas, 
Luke,  Matthew,  Mark,  Joshua  and  many  others  of  the  proph- 
ets, apostles,  disciples  and  wise  men  of  religious  history  be- 
came familiar  to  him  and  conversed  with  him  daily. 

This  all  appealed  to  his  sense  of  the  "eternal  fitness  of 
things,"  and  was  therefore  accepted  by  him  with  absolute  sin- 
cerity and  good  faith  as  the  truth  and  nothing  but  the  truth. 
He  was  thus  taught  to  believe  with  all  his  heart  that  he  was 
the  specially  chosen  instrument  of  God  the  Omnipotent  for 
the  re-establishment  of  His  kingdom  upon  earth. 

He  therefore  left  his  business,  gave  up  everything  else 
and  submitted  himself  in  perfect  faith  to  the  guidance  of  the 
"Master,"  as  he  verily  believed.  Day  and  night  he  spent  in 
what  to  him  was  sacred  communion  with  the  mighty  men  of 
old,  as  well  as  with  God  Himself.  They  told  him  many  won- 
derful things  (concerning  matters  and  things  which  were 
quite  beyond  the  possibility  of  his  verification  or  disproof). 
They  unrolled  to  him  the  scroll  of  the  heavens,  as  it  were, 
named  the  stars  and  the  inhabited  planets  and  gave  him  the 
names  of  all  the  planetary  rulers  of  the  universe,  with  all  of 
which  he  became  as  familiar  as  with  the  names  of  his  near- 
est earthly  friends  and  acquaintances.  They  opened  to  his 
fevered  imagination  the  great  book  of  divine  mysteries,  and 
thus  kept  his  attention  riveted  and  his  interest  transfixed. 

But  at  length  the  strain  began  to  tell  upon  him.  He  grew 
physically  weak  and  nervous  and  debilitated.  He  realized 
that  he  was  breaking  under  the  continued  tension.  This  was 


244:      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

the  moment  for  which  his  controls  had  patiently  waited. 
They  told  him  the  work  they  had  for  him  to  do  was  more 
than  his  physical  body  could  endure  without  stimulants.  He 
must  therefore  have  liquor.  He  must  drink  and  drink  freely 
in  order  that  he  might  be  able  to  endure  the  strain  of  the 
mighty  work  before  him.  In  the  name  of  the  "Master"  he 
was  commanded  to  drink,  but  with  the  assurance  that  it  was 
only  a  sacramental  service  required  of  him  in  order  that  he 
might  do  his  appointed  work,  and  thereby  become  worthy  to 
receive  still  more  important  secrets  from  the  great  storehouse 
of  universal  wisdom.  To  him  this  was  law.  He  began  the 
use  of  liquors  as  a  sacramental  stimulant.  For  three  years 
he  did  nothing  but  drink  "to  the  glory  of  God"  and  listen  to 
the  wonderful  teachings  of  the  "Master"  and  His  chosen 
people. 

At  the  end  of  this  time  he  was  as  pitiful  an  object  as 
human  eyes  ever  beheld.  Bloated  to  almost  double  his  nor- 
mal size,  skin  parched  and  fiery  red  with  the  fever  of  alcoholic 
fire,  eyes  bloodshot,  bleared  and  wild  with  an  unnatural 
agony,  and  yet  with  a  faith  unshaken  and  a  soul  ready  for 
the  tortures  of  even  a  more  terrible  hell,  if  but  the  voice  of 
the  "Master"  should  demand  it. 

Was  this  man  insane?  No.  He  was  as  far  from  insanity 
as  is  the  average  physical  scientist  who  denies  the  existence 
of  another  life,  or  who,  admitting  the  possibility  of  another 
life,  denies  that  the  establishment  of  such  a  relation  is  a  pos- 
sibility. He  was  simply  deceived  as  to  the  identity  of  the  in- 
telligences with  whom  he  had  come  into  personal  communi- 
cation, just  as  the  scientist  is  deceived  as  to  the  possibility  of 
such  an  experience,  or  as  the  unsophisticated  farmer  is  de- 
ceived by  the  confidence  man. 

•But  why  are  this  intelligent  man  and  the  physical  scientist 
both  deceived  concerning  that  which  lies  beyond  the  veil  of 
physical  nature  ?  Merely  because  neither  is  able  to  see  behind 
that  veil.  The  spiritual  sense  of  sight  would  enable  both  to 
apprehend  the  truth  and  thus  avoid  deceptions. 

But  what  of  the  eternal  justice  of  all  this?  Why  is  an 
innocent  individual  not  protected  against  such  horrible  im- 


MEDIUMSHIP  AND  MARTYRDOM  245 

positions?  Are  there  not  forces  for  good  sufficiently  potent 
to  prevent  such  seeming  fraud  and  injustice? 

There  are  perfectly  consistent  and  scientific  answers  to  all 
these  questions,  as  well  as  to  all  others  which  arise  out  of 
the  same  subject  matter.  To  enter  upon  their  consideration 
here,  however,  would  take  us  far  out  of  the  line  of  this  spe- 
cific volume  and  only  tend  to  obscure  its  vital  purpose.  This 
is  a  subject,  therefore,  which  is  reserved  for  future  consid- 
eration. 

Particular  attention  is  called  to  the  following  special 
points  in  this  most  interesting  and  pitiful  case : 

1.  It  will  be  observed  that  his  controls  approached  him 
through  the  spiritual  sense  of  hearing  alone.     They  did  not 
develop  his  spiritual  sense  of  sight.      Why?      Because  this 
would  have  enabled  him  to  detect  the  fraud  they  desired  to 
practice  upon  him.     Those  who  are  sufficiently  interested  in 
the  subject  to  follow  the  suggestion  will  find  that  this  is  one 
of  the  most  common  as  well  as  the  most  cunning  tricks  em- 
ployed by  mediumistic  controls  to  deceive  the  medium  and 
avoid  detection. 

Had  Mr.  W.  been  able  to  see  his  controls,  as  the  writer 
was  able  to  see  them,  he  would  have  known  at  once  that  the 
voice  of  the  "Master"  was,  in  fact,  but  the  voice  of  an  ex- 
drunkard,  who  upon  the  physical  plane  of  life  had  been  a 
prominent  and  brilliant  lawyer,  but  who  had  fallen  a  victim  to 
the  habit  of  drink,  and  had  died  in  a  delirium  of  drunkenness. 
In  the  voice  of  "St.  John"  he  would  in  like  manner  have 
recognized  that  of  an  ex-physician  of  some  note  who  had 
died  from  the  same  cause.  And  the  various  prophets,  apos- 
tles, disciples  and  wise  men  would  have  been  disclosed  to 
him  as  so  many  other  like  individuals  who  had  passed  to  the 
spirit  life  burdened  with  the  weight  of  evil  passions,  appe- 
tites, desires,  habits,  ambitions  and  propensities  which  they 
had  permitted  to  control  them  during  their  earthly  lives.  For 
this  reason  the  spiritual  eyes  of  their  victim  were  kept  care- 
fully and  securely  closed. 

2.  It  will  also  be  noted  that  they  approached  him  along 
the  lines  of  least  resistance,  namely,  his  religious  convictions 


246      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

and  personal  vanity.  Why?  Because  they  understood  the 
overwhelming  force  of  these  elements  of  his  nature.  They 
knew  that  if,  through  the  subtle  power  of  credulity,  they 
could  impress  him  with  the  conviction  that  he  was  the  spe- 
cially chosen  instrument  of  God  for  the  accomplishment  of 
some  great  and  exalted  work,  they  could  hold  his  interest  and 
command  his  willing  and  continued  co-operation.  Through 
this  course  they  could  make  him  a  willing  instead  of  an  un- 
willing sacrifice.  And  their  judgment  was  correct. 

Nature,  however,  has  her  own  peculiar  way  of  redressing 
the  wrongs  of  the  innocent  and  meting  out  condign  punish- 
ment to  the  guilty. 

What  has  been  said  concerning  the  habit  of  drink  may  be 
said  with  equal  truth  concerning  every  pernicious  physical 
appetite,  passion,  desire,  habit,  ambition  and  unrestrained  in- 
clination of  human  nature.  To  the  exact  extent  they  become 
fixed  and  permanent  demands  upon  the  soul  and  govern  the 
lives  and  conduct  of  men  in  the  physical  body  they  are  car- 
ried into  the  spiritual  life  at  physical  death  and  must  be  con- 
quered from  that  side  of  life  if  at  all.  Their  satisfactions  and 
gratifications  are  sought  from  the  spiritual  plane  in  the  man- 
ner and  for  the  purposes  hereinbefore  indicated.  And  thus 
the  sins  of  the  father  are,  in  truth,  visited  upon  the  children 
to  the  third  and  fourth  generations,  and  even  beyond. 

Numerous  instances  have  come  under  the  personal  obser- 
vation of  the  writer  wherein  the  efforts  of  vicious  and  de- 
graded spiritual  intelligences,  to  gratify  their  licentious  pas- 
sions and  animal  desires,  through  the  mediumistic -process, 
have  resulted  in  the  complete  downfall  of  the  medium.  The 
methods  employed  by  spiritual  controls  along  this  particular 
line  are  such  as  would  horrify  the  most  degraded  and  aban- 
doned profligate  of  earth  if  he  could  but  witness  them.  There 
are  no  words  in  which  to  portray  the  hideous  picture. 

A  simple  suggestion,  however,  may  not  be  deemed  out  of 
place  in  this  connection.  It  is  a  fact  which  has  been  fully 
demonstrated  by  Natural  Science,  and  may  be  easily  verified 
by  physical  science  whenever  it  shall  turn  its  attention  to  the 
subject,  that  a  very  large  percentage  of  prostitution,  among 


MEDIUMSHIP  AND  MARTYRDOM  247 

both  men  and  women,  is  due  to  the  pernicious  interposition 
of  outside,  spiritual  intelligences.  It  is  true  that  in  every 
instance  the  undeveloped  possibilities  are  in  the  individual 
himself.  But  if  left  alone  to  contend  with  them  he  might  be 
able  to  control  his  vicious  tendencies  and  hold  in  check  the 
lawless  impulses  of  his  baser  nature. 

This,  however,  is  subject  matter  in  itself  for  an  entire 
volume.  It  is  only  suggested  at  this  time  as  a  fruitful  field 
which  will  amply  reward  the  honest  investigator  and  rep'ay 
the  scientist  and  the  psychologist  alike  for  any  labor  they  may 
see  fit  to  bestow  in  an  honest  effort  to  determine  the  facts  and 
discover  a  remedy. 

It  must  not  be  inferred  from  the  foregoing  that  medium- 
ship  is  an  institution  established  and  maintained  exclusively 
by  vicious  spiritual  intelligences  for  the  sole  purpose  of  en- 
abling them  to  satiate  their  unconquered  and  unsatisfied  appe- 
tites, passions  and  desires  of  the  flesh  which  they  have  car- 
ried with  them  into  the  spiritual  life.  Neither  must  it  be  un- 
derstood that  all  spiritual  controls  are  criminally  vicious  and 
wilfully  dishonest.  On  the  other  hand,  there  are  undoubtedly 
spiritual  intelligences  vwho  honestly  believe  they  are  doing  a 
great  work  and  rendering  to  the  world  a  valuable  service 
through  the  exercise  of  mediumistic  control. 

There  are  religious  zealots  and  enthusiasts  upon  the  spir- 
•itual  side  of  life  as  well  as  here.  They  recognize  the  desir- 
ability of  educating  the  great  world  of  humanity  upon  the 
physical  plane  to  a  knowledge  of  the  fact  that  physical  death 
is  but  the  beginning  of  another  life.  Just  so  the  great  Chris- 
tian Ministry  of  earth  recognize  the  same  thing  and  devote 
their  efforts  to  its  accomplishment. 

Mediumship  opens  a  comparatively  easy  method  of  bring- 
ing the  two  worlds  within  speaking  distance  of  each  other. 
Spiritual  controls  who  have  this  purpose  only  in  view  do  not 
consider  that  the  mere  matter  of  method  is  of  vital  signifi- 
cance or  importance.  Mediumship  is  the  easiest  and  in  most 
instances  the  only  method  or  process  known  to  those  who 
employ  it.  Many  of  these  understand  and  fully  recognize 


248      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

the  destructive  nature  of  the  mediumistic  process,  but  they 
do  not  understand  the  remedy  for  it. 

Moreover,  to  them  the  sacrifice  of  a  few  thousand  mediums 
annually  seems  a  small  thing  as  compared  with  the  supposed 
benefits  to  accrue  to  humanity  in  general  therefrom.  They 
know  that  thousands  of  missionaries  of  earth  are  annually 
suffering  martyrdom  to  carry  the  cross  of  Christ  into  heathen- 
dom. Why,  then,  should  anyone  seriously  object  if  they  add 
a  ie\\  more  individuals  to  the  number  of  candidates  for  can- 
onization? This  reasoning  isn't  bad.  It  is,  in  fact,  fully  up 
to  the  logical  level  of  much  of  the  philosophy  and  religion 
by  which  mankind  is  governed  to-day  all  over  the  world.  But 
it  is  nevertheless  all  wrong  just  the  same. 

The  unreasonableness  of  the  medium's  position  will  be 
apparent  if  the  matter  is  presented  in  a  slightly  different  form. 
Suppose,  for  instance,  a  band  of  Sioux  Indians  were  liv- 
ing upon  a  near-by  reservation  where  they  were  perfectly  free 
to  give  expression  to  all  the  savagery  and  depravity  of  their 
Indian  natures.  And  suppose  they  were  all  professional  hyp- 
notists, how  many  of  the  men  and  women  who  are  to-day 
practicing  mediumship  would  be  willing  to  submit  them- 
selves to  the  domination  and  control  of  such  a  band,  or  of  any 
single  member  of  it?  It  is  safe  to  say,  not  one.  Why?  Be- 
cause they  understand  enough  of  human  nature  to  know  that 
any  individual  is  in  a  much  safer,  healthier  and  altogether 
better  and  more  respectable  condition  and  state  of  being  while 
in  his  own  right  mind  and  in  the  rightful  possession  of  his 
natural  faculties,  capacities  and  powers  than  he  could  pos- 
sibly hope  to  be  in  the  hands  and  under  the  absolute  mental 
domination  and  control  of  the  wisest  and  best  Indian  on 
earth. 

But  an  Indian  upon  the  spiritual  plane  is  only  an  ex-human 
Indian.  He  is  identically  the  same  intelligence,  neither  better 
nor  worse,  neither  wiser  nor  more  honest.  Why,  then,  should 
we  permit  him  to  control  us  from  the  spiritual  plane  when  we 
would  only  run  from  such  a  proposition  on  earth? 

Again,   suppose  an   adjacent    room   is   filled    with   people, 


MEDIUMSHIP  AND  MARTYRDOM 

some  of  whom  are  known  to  be  of  the  most  depraved  and 
vicious  character.  The  proposition  comes  from  the  room  in 
a  general  way  that  among  the  number  therein  are  several 
individuals  who  will  undertake  to  hypnotize  anyone  who  will 
submit  himself  to  them  for  that  purpose.  How  many  people 
now  living  would  accept  the  invitation  without  first  knowing 
something  of  the  character  of  the  individual  who  is  to  do  the 
hypnotizing?  It  would  be  strange  if  one  sane  individual 
in  all  the  world  could  be  found. 

And  yet  this  is  precisely  what  every  individual  does  who 
sits  for  mediumistic  development.  He  knows  absolutely 
nothing  concerning  the  character,  individuality,  knowledge, 
virtue,  honesty,  morality  or  purpose  of  a  single  intelligence 
to  whom  he  is  submitting  himself  as  a  subject.  He  is  offer- 
ing himself,  body  and  soul,  to  the  veriest  strangers  without 
even  so  much  as  an  introduction,  an  inquiry  or  a  credential 
of  any  kind.  And  the  most  degrading  part  of  it  all  is  in  the 
fact  that  perhaps  ninety-nine  out  of  every  one  hundred  of 
those  who  would  control  him,  if  they  could,  are  those  with 
whom  upon  earth  he  would  have  deemed  it  a  lasting  disgrace 
to  associate  upon  terms  of  equality,  to  say  nothing  of  be- 
coming their  pliant  and  willing  subjects  and  tools. 

It  would  seem  almost  inexplicable  that  this  phase  of  me- 
diumship,  which  is  so  apparent  to  every  one  who  thinks, 
should  have  made  so  slight  and  so  indifferent  an  impression 
upon  the  minds  of  those  who  are  in  position  to  understand 
something  of  the  nature  of  the  meduimistic  process  and  of 
the  subjective  principle  involved. 

It  may  be  accepted  as  an  axiom  of  spiritual  life  that  no 
spiritual  intelligence,  to  whatever  sphere  he  may  have  at- 
tained, from  the  first  to  the  thirteenth,  who  has  learned  the 
meaning  and  the  results  of  the  mediumistic  process,  and  who 
is  honest,  will  ever  subject  any  individual  of  earth  to  the 
blighting  influence  of  mediumistic  control. 

Whoever  does  so  thereby  convicts  himself  of  either  gross 
ignorance,  deliberate  dishonesty  or  unconscionable  immorality. 
For  whoever  understands  the  true  character  of  the  medium- 


250      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

istic  process  and  the  nature  of  its  inevitable  results  knows 
that  it  is  but  an  expression  of  The  Destructive  Principle  of 
Nature  in  Individual  Life,  and  that  it  leads  ever  and  always  to 

THE   WAY   OF  DEATH. 


MEDIUMSHIP  AND  "  AFFINITY  "  251 

CHAPTER  XII. 

MEDIUMSHIP  AND  "AFFINITY." 

Almost  from  the  foundation  of  modern  Spiritualism  the 
organization  has  been  placed  under  the  ban  of  suspicion  be- 
cause of  its  alleged  or  supposed  advocacy  of  the  doctrine  of 
"Freelove." 

However  unjust  this  charge  may  be  when  broadly  applied 
to  the  strict  intent  of  the  spiritualistic  philosophy  .or  to  the 
practices  of  those  who  represent  the  best  intelligence  among 
progressive  spiritualists,  there  is  nevertheless  a  logical  cause 
for  this  cloud  upon  the  moral  status  of  spiritualism. 

In  the  higher  science  and  philosophy  of  life  it  is  known 
that  there  is  a  principle  in  Nature  which  impels  every  entity 
to  seek  vibratory  correspondence  with  another  like  entity  of 
opposite  polarity.  This  principle  has  been  known  and  recog- 
nized under  many  different  names.  For  instance,  it  is  known 
as  the  Law  of  Motion  and  Number,  the  Law  of  Vibration, 
the  Law  of  Polarity,  the  Law  of  Correspondences,  the  Law 
of  Natural  Selection,  the  Law  of  Affinity,  etc. 

In  Volume  I  of  this  Series,  entitled  "Harmonics  of  Evo- 
lution," this  principle  of  Nature  is  fully  developed.  It  is 
there  traced  from  its  lowest  form  of  expression  in  the  chem- 
ical affinities  of  inorganic  matter  through  the  involuntary  and 
non-intelligent  affinities  of  the  vegetable  kingdom  upward 
through  the  natural  selections  of  the  animal  kingdom  to  the 
Law  of  Individual  Completion  in  the  human  kingdom.  From 
the  atom  to  man  it  runs  like  an  unbroken  thread  of  purest  gold 
through  all  the  evolutionary  ascent  of  Nature.  In  the  king- 
dom of  man  it  finds  its  highest  and  most  perfect  expression 
in  the  indissoluble  monogamic  union  of  man  and  woman  in 
the  perfect  marriage  relation. 

This  indissoluble  monogamic  union  of  man  and  woman 
is  at  the  farthest  possible  point  of  difference  from  the  prin- 
ciple involved  in  "Freelove."  The  two,  in  fact,  represent  as 
diametrically  opposite  principles  of  life  and  conduct  as  it  is 
possible  for  the  human  mind  to  conceive.  It  would  therefore 


252      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

seem  impossible  that  the  one  should  ever  be  mistaken  for  the 
other,  or  that  human  intelligence  should  be  led  into  confusion 
or  uncertainty  concerning  their  respective  meanings.  Such, 
however,  is  the  case. 

Among  the  most  powerful  intelligences  of  the  first  spir- 
itual sphere  who  are  bound  to  earth  by  the  weight  of  their 
evil  appetites,  passions  and  desires,  the  law  of  affinity  is 
known  far  more  generally  than  it  is  upon  the  physical  plane. 
Through  the  mouths  of  their  innocent  mediums  so  much  of 
the  law  is  declared  and  so  much  of  it  suppressed  or  misrep- 
resented as  may  be  necessary  to  serve  their  evil  purposes. 
And  thus  the  most  sacred  and  beautiful  law  of  life  is  often 
tortured  into  a  cunning  and  cruel  sophistry  which  translates 
itself  to  the  world  as  moral  laxity,  promiscuity  or  "Freelove." 
Why?  In  order  that  the  medium  may  be  thereby  furnished  a 
reason  and  a  motive  for  overruling  his  conscience  and  sur- 
rendering his  physical  body  to  the  lustful  demands  of  his 
controls. 

The  following  illustration  will  serve  to  make  the  applica- 
tion more  apparent: 

Some  years  ago  an  acquaintance  of  the  writer,  a  lady  of 
unquestioned  intelligence  and  moral  character,  became  inter- 
ested in  the  study  of  spiritualism.  She  was  finally  developed 
into  an  excellent  trance-speaking  medium.  Her  controls,  how- 
ever, encouraged  her  to  believe  that  under  their  domination 
she  might  become  a  world-renowned  "magnetic  healer."  They 
held  up  before  her  the  two  most  powerful  motives  or  in- 
centives possible  in  her  case — the  love  of  humanity  and  the 
gratification  of  vanity.  She  was  led  to  believe  that  in  the 
capacity  of  a  great  "healer"  she  would  be  a  blessing  to  hu- 
manity and  at  the  same  time  be  able  to  gratify  her  vanity 
through  the  lavish  expenditure  of  unlimited  wealth. 

These  proved  sufficient  motives  and  inspirations  to  com- 
mand her  willing  and  active  co-operation.  She  advertised 
herself  to  the  world  of  suffering  humanity  according  to  the 
usual  methods,  and  soon  succeeded  in  the  establishment  of  a 
large  and  lucrative  practice.  At  first  both  men  and  women 
were  her  patients,  among  whom  a  number  of  remarkable 


MEDIUMSHIP  AND  "AFFINITY"  253 

cures  were  soon  reported.  It  shortly  developed,  however, 
that  her  methods  of  treatment  were  offensive  to  her  lady 
patients.  This  became  so  pronounced  that  under  the  guid- 
ance of  her  controls  she  ultimately  confined  her  practice  to 
"gentlemen  only."  This  was  but  the  prelude  to  her  complete 
ruin. 

Step  by  step  she  was  led  onward  and  downward  by  her 
controls  until  her  "magnetic  treatments"  became  only  an- 
other name  for  the  indulgence  of  the  most  depraved  passions 
of  human  nature.  While  under  complete  trance  control  she 
delivered  learned  lectures  to  her  patients  on  the  subject  of  the 
great  law  of  "magnetic  exchange,"  which  her  controls  al- 
leged was  at  the  basis  of  all  therapeutic  processes. 

Cunningly  and  with  consummate  skill  it  was  developed 
that  the  patient  needed  and  must  have  the  magnetism  of  his 
medium,  and  the  medium  in  turn  needed  and  must  have  the 
magnetism  of  the  patient  to  sustain  her  in  her  work.  This 
was  but  an  even  exchange,  and  was  demanded  by  the  great 
law  of  the  "equilibrium  of  forces."  Thence  it  was  but  a 
natural  step  to  develop  the  sophistry  that  the  sex  relation 
was  God's  divinely  appointed  institution  by  and  through 
which  to  effect  this  "magnetic  exchange." 

As  might  be  anticipated,  the  natural  sequel  of  all  this  was 
an  abandoned  exemplification  of  the  doctrine  of  "Freelove." 
By  both  precept  and  practice  this  medium,  under  the  domi- 
nation of  her  controls,  became  an  exponent  of  that  blighting 
and  destroying  fallacy.  As  a  perfectly  natural  result,  spir- 
itualism in  general  and  spiritualists  in  particular  were  com- 
pelled to  share  the  burden  of  moral  turpitude  for  which  her 
depraved  and  degenerate  controls  alone  were  responsible. 

Leading  spiritualists  defended  themselves  against  the 
charge  of  "Freelove"  upon  the  ground  that  the  entire  or- 
ganization of  spiritualism  could  not  justly  be  held  respon- 
sible for  the  sophistries  or  the  deliberate  wickedness  and  de- 
pravity of  a  few  "bad  mediums."  Here  again  the  innocent 
and  defenseless  medium  is  made  the  scapegoat  to  carry  the 
sins  of  her  false  and  vicious  controls  into  the  wilderness. 

But  there  are  all   shades  and   degrees   of    control,  and 


254       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

therefore  all  shades  and  degrees  of  individual  responsibility 
and  moral  accountability  on  the  part  of  the  medium.  It  will 
not  be  difficult,  therefore,  to  understand  that  there  are  many 
instances  wherein  the  medium  is  part  ice  ps  cri  minis  and  should 
be  held  equally  accountable  with  those  who  exert  an  influ- 
ence upon  him  from  the  spiritual  plane. 

This  is  usually  the  case  wherever  the  medium  is  consti- 
tutionally of  a  strongly  preponderating  physical  nature.  In 
proportion  as  this  is  true  he  surrenders  himself  to  the  medi- 
umistic  process,  more  especially  to  its  degrading  suggestions, 
with  diminished  reluctance.  In  like  proportion  he  loses  not 
only  the  power  of  self-control,  but  the  desire  to  exercise  it, 
and  as  a  result  sinks  to  the  level  of  his  animal  nature.  The 
check  upon  his  physical  appetites,  passions  and  desires  is  re- 
laxed. His  unbridled  physical  nature  is  thus  permitted  to  run 
riot,  and  as  a  result  spiritualism  is  made  to  carry  the  burden  of 
his  moral  obliquity. 

The  natural  tendency  of  the  mediumistic  process  is  toward 
animalism.  A  considerable  number  of  the  more  intelligent 
advocates  of  modern  spiritualism  already  recognize  this  fact. 
Inasmuch,  however,  as  they  are  unable  to  suggest  a  remedy, 
they  have  become  more  or  less  inclined  to  accept  the  fact 
as  a  "necessary  evil." 

The  large  amount  of  attention  given  by  spiritualists  to  the 
idea  and  the  theme  of  "affinities"  is  the  most  natural  thing 
in  the  world.  Love  and  the  individual  love  relation  of  man 
and  woman  are,  after  all,  the  very  basis  of  life  and  living. 
They  are  fundamental  principles  of  Nature.  They  are  of  uni- 
versal interest.  The  individual  relation  of  man  and  woman 
is,  in  fact,  the  secret  spring  of  individual  action.  It  is  the 
very  foundation  of  individual  happiness  as  well  as  of  indi- 
vidual misery. 

Very  naturally,  then,  among  the  first  results  of  "spirit 
communication"  are  inquiry  on  one  side  and  explanations 
from  the  other  concerning  this  most  important  relation  and 
principle.  Very  naturally,  also,  those  who  are  alone,  un- 
happy, mismated  and  miserable  seek  for  some  hope  of  ulti- 
mate release  and  ultimate  satisfaction.  It  is  therefore  but 


MEDIUMSHIP  AND  "  AFFINITY  "  255 

natural  that  the  dissatisfied  and  the  unhappy,  as  well  as  the 
weak,  the  foolish  and  the  vicious,  are  misled  by  the  confused 
reports  and  deliberate  misrepresentations  of  their  "spirit 
guides."  Under  all  the  conditions  which  obtain  the  matter 
of  surprise  is  not  that  so  many  but  rather  that  so  few  have 
been  thus  misled. 

So  long  as  spiritualism  gives  its  sanction  to  the  medium- 
istic  process  as  the  corner-stone  of  its  superstructure,  just  so 
long  will  it  be  compelled  to  defend  itself  against  the  charge 
of  promiscuity,  moral  laxity  and  "Freelove." 

Whenever,  if  at  all,  it  shall  abandon  the  subjective  process 
of  mediumship  and  plant  itself  squarely,  firmly  and  unequivo- 
cally upon  the  fundamental  principle  of  independent,  spiritual 
self-development,  the  day  of  its  trials  shall  cease,  but  not  be- 
fore. 

Have  leading  spiritualists  the  intelligence  and  the  cour- 
age to  take  this  step  and  the  perseverance  to  maintain  it? 


256       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

CHAPTER   XIII. 


MEDIUMSHIP  AND  EMOTIONALISM. 

Emotionalism  is  an  open  door  to  mediumship. 

Intense  emotion  produces  paralysis  of  the  will. 

Paralysis  of  the  will,  from  whatever  cause,  involves  a 
psychically  negative  state  or  condition  of  the  intelligence. 

Whatever  produces  in  the  individual  a  psychically  nega- 
tive state  or  condition  opens  the  door  to  mediumistic  control. 

The  rationale  of  this  proposition  is  easily  understood  in 
the  light  of  our  present  knowledge  of  the  nature  and  results 
of  the  mediumistic  process  and  the  operations  of  our  emo- 
tional natures. 

For  the  sake  of  clearness,  however,  it  may  be  well  to  un- 
derstand in  advance  what  is  an  emotion  and  what  are  the 
principal  elements  of  which  it  is  composed. 

Webster  defines  the  term  as  "A  state  of  excited  feeling 
of  any  kind,"  or  "The  excited  action  of  some  inward  suscep- 
tibility or  feeling." 

While  these  definitions  do  not  give  us  a  final  analysis  of 
the  metaphysical  process  involved,  they  are  nevertheless  suf- 
ficiently accurate  and  lucid,  as  far  as  they  go,  to  develop  the 
central  principle  with  which  we  are  chiefly  concerned  at  this 
time. 

As  indicated  by  the  authority  quoted,  the  fundamental 
basis  of  all  emotion  is  "feeling."  That  is  to  say,  the  emotion 
itself  is  in  no  sense  an  intellectual  process,  although  experi- 
enced by  an  intelligent  being.  We  unconsciously  recognize 
the  truth  of  this  by  the  manner  in  which  we  verbally  express 
our  emotions.  For  instance,  it  is  perfectly  natural  as  well  as 
accurate  to  say,  "I  feel  angry.  I  feel  sorry.  I  feel  happy.  I 
feel  glad.  I  feel  a  sense  of  fear  or  dread,"  etc. 

That  is  to  say,  we  feel  all  these  various  emotions.  They 
translate  themselves  to  our  intelligence  as  feeling  and  not  as 
intellection.  And  thus  it  is  that  the  emotional  nature  of  man 
is  within  the  realm  of  individual  feeling.  Emotionalism  is 
therefore  confined  entirely  to  the  sensuous  plane  of  individual 


MEDIUMSHIP  AND  EMOTIONALISM         257 

life.  It  lies  upon  a  plane  entirely  distinct  from  that  of  the 
purely  intellectual  or  rational  processes. 

We  feel  things  whether  we  will  or  not.  In  other  words, 
our  emotional  natures  act  quite  independently  of  our  intelli- 
gence or  reason.  It  is  true  that  after  an  emotion  has  been 
excited  or  set  in  motion  we  may  by  the  exercise  of  will  con- 
trol it,  but  the  exciting  cause  is  entirely  involuntary.  When 
an  emotion  has  been  once  brought  into  existence  it  is  then  a 
contest  between  it  and  the  intelligent  will  of  the  individual 
for  supremacy.  If  the  will  succeeds  in  controlling  the  emo- 
tion the  intelligence  maintains  its  positive  status  or  condi- 
tion. If  the  emotion  controls  the  will  the  intelligence  thereby 
falls  into  a  negative  or  passive  state.  The  extent  to  which 
our  emotions  control  us  at  any  given  time  determines  the 
measure  to  which  they  produce  in  us  a  psychically  negative 
or  passive  condition. 

An  illustration  will  serve  to  bring  the  principle  more 
clearly  to  view.  Let  us  suppose,  for  instance,  that  a  mother 
is  informed  of  the  death  of  her  child.  Instantly  the  emotion 
of  deepest  sorrow  takes  possession  of  her.  If  she  but  yield 
to  its  power  it  will  overcome  and  completely  master  her.  If, 
on  the  other  hand,  she  exercise  her  power  of  will  upon  it, 
she  may  control  its  violence  and  ultimately  master  it. 

In  this  instance  it  is  clear  that  the  excitant  or  cause  of  her 
emotion  is  wholly  involuntary  on  her  part.  The  emotion  of 
sorrow  takes  possession  of  her  without  even  so  much  as  con- 
sulting her  intelligence,  will  or  desire.  But  after  it  has  come 
into  active  existence  within  her  emotional  nature,  it  is  then 
possible  for  her  to  apply  to  it  the  power  of  her  will  and  in- 
telligence and  thus  control  it.  On  the  other  hand,  she  may 
fail  or  refuse  to  exercise  her  will  upon  it,  in  which  event  the 
emotion  will  completely  master  her. 

It  is  a  frequent  occurrence  in  medical  practice  to  find  an 
individual  in  a  state  of  hysteria  as  the  result  of  unrestrained 
or  uncontrolled  emotions.  It  may  be  the  result  of  sorrow,  or 
anger,  or  fear,  or  excessive  joy.  It  matters  not  what  the  par- 
ticular emotion  may  be,  whether  of  the  most  exalting  or  the 
most  debasing  character,  if  the  individual  but  yield  to  its  in- 


258      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

fluence  it  will  ultimately  control  every  faculty,  capacity  and 
power  of  the  soul,  including  the  power  of  will. 

On  the  other  hand,  we  have  all  seen  both  men  and  women 
in  the  midst  of  deepest  sorrow  and  affliction  who,  by  the  in- 
telligent exercise  of  the  power  of  will  alone,  have  passed 
through  the  trying  ordeal  with  a  self-control  which  never 
fails  to  command  our  unlimited  admiration  and  respect. 

In  the  latter  case  the  individual  controls  his  emotions;  in 
the  former  he  is  controlled  by  them. 

It  is  now  possible  to  understand  that  while  an  emotion  is 
the  result  of  an  active  state  of  feeling,  it  does  not  necessarily 
mean  an  active  state  of  intelligence.  Indeed,  it  is  possible 
to  understand  that  it  may  involve  an  inactive  or  passive  con- 
dition of  the  mind  or  intelligence.  This  is  suggested  by  the 
well-known  fact  that  animals  experience  all  the  simple  emo- 
tions common  to  mankind. 

In  its  final  analysis  emotionalism  is  the  result  of  sensu- 
ous activity  and  intellectual  passivity.  The  intensity  of  the 
emotion  measures  the  degree  of  sensuous  activity.  In  pro- 
portion as  the  sensuous  activity  increases  the  intelligence  be- 
comes passive. 

It  is  a  fact  of  Natural  Science  which  every  individual  has 
already  demonstrated  many  times  and  may  do  so  again  as 
often  as  he  so  desires,  that  in  proportion  as  we  permit  our 
emotions  to  control  us  we  thereby  surrender  the  power  of  self- 
control.  And,  on  the  other  hand,  in  proportion  as  we  con- 
trol our  emotions  we  preserve  intact  the  power  of  self-control. 

The  specific  point  of  first  importance  to  be  observed  and 
held  in  mind  is  the  fact  that  emotionalism  paralyzes  the  will 
and  thereby  the  power  of  self-control.  Emotionalism  there- 
fore removes  from  the  pathway  of  both  the  hypnotist  and  the 
spiritual  control  the  one  most  important  obstacle  in  the  way 
of  their  success,  namely,  the  active  and  intelligent  power  of 
will.  By  so  doing  it  opens  the  way  to  either  hypnotic  or  me- 
diumistic  control. 

Inasmuch  as  the  power  of  self-control  is  at  the  basis  of 
individual  responsibility,  it  is  of  the  most  serious  importance 
to  understand  and  appreciate  the  fact  that  in  proportion  as 


MEDIUMSHIP  AND  EMOTIONALISM         259 

we  are  under  the  control  of  our  emotional  natures  at  any 
given  time  we  are  to  that  extent  in  a  state  or  condition  of 
irresponsibility. 

But  individual  responsibility  is  the  basis  of  morality. 
That  which  deprives  us  of  our  individual  responsibility  is 
therefore  inimical  to  the  moral  status  of  both  the  individual 
and  society.  It  follows  with  irresistible  logic  that  emotion- 
alism is  not  only  a  question  of  science,  but  that  it  is  an  ethical 
problem  as  well; 

This  brings  us  naturally  to  the  specific  subject  of  religious 
emotionalism.  Almost  from  the  time  of  John  Wesley,  the 
founder  of  what  is  known  as  Wesleyan  Methodism,  this  has 
been  a  mooted  question  within  the  body  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  With  comparatively  few  exceptions,  other 
religious  organizations,  especially  those  denominated  Chris- 
tian, seem  to  recognize  the  fact  that  ultra  emotionalism  in  re- 
ligious work  and  service  is  inimical  to  the  best  interests  of 
both  the  individual  and  the  church. 

It  is  true  that  their  reasons  do  not  always  appear  to  be 
very  well  or  clearly  defined.  ,  In  many  instances,  in  fact,  the 
opposition  to  ultra  religious  emotionalism  appears  to  be  much 
more  a  matter  of  intuition  than  that  of  reason.  To  such,  how- 
ever, as  view  the  subject  from  this  standpoint  it  may  be  of 
interest  and  possible  value  to  know  that  science  fully  sustains 
'  their  objections  to  that  form  'of  emotionalism  in  religious 
service  specifically  covered  by  the  term  "Revivalism." 

Lest  there  be  some  whose  understanding  of  this  term  dif- 
fers from  the  meaning  here  attached  to  it,  the  following  brief 
account  of  a  "religious  revival"  will  serve  to  more  clearly 
define  the  term  as  it  is  here  employed. 

Some  years  ago  the  writer  attended  a  revival  service  of 
the  character  here  referred  to.  It  was  conducted  by  one  of 
the  most  eloquent  and  enthusiastic  revivalists  of  the  country. 
From  the  results  of  his  work  it  would  appear  that  he  pos- 
sessed the  ability  to  play  upon  all  the  strings  of  emotional 
human  nature  at  will.  His  stock  of  pathetic  stories  seemed 
inexhaustible,  and  the  manner  in  which  he  employed  them  as 


260      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

fuel  to  warm  up  the  emotional  sympathies  of  his  hearers  was 
both  dramatic  and  artistic  as  well  as  highly  entertaining. 

A  "mourners'  bench"  was  provided  in  the  foreground, 
where  "sinsick"  souls  were  urged  to  go  and  kneel  for  prayer. 
Those  who  went  were  supposed  to  be  "under  conviction." 
These  constituted  the  specific  storm  center  of  interest  and 
effort.  The  special  purpose  was  to  carry  them  to  the  point 
of  "conversion."  This  was  the  goal  toward  which  all  effort 
tended. 

A  choir  of  sympathetic  voices  sang  and  chanted  pathetic 
hymns,  and  all  things  combined  to  excite  religious  enthusiasm 
and  emotional  fervor. 

The  revivalist  preached,  then  prayed,  then  exhorted,  then 
told  pathetic  stories.  The  choir  sang.  Then  followed  more 
preaching,  praying  and  exhortation,  with  more  pathetic  sto- 
ries and  songs.  This  continued  with  an  ever-increasing  en- 
thusiasm, until  the  atmosphere  seemed  to  vibrate  with  intense 
emotion. 

Gradually  men  and  women  began  to  give  way  to  their 
emotions.  One  after  another  they  found  their  way  to  the 
"mourners'  bench,"  where  they  knelt  to  pray  and  mourn  over 
their  sins.  In  the  midst  of  prayers  and  songs  and  exhorta- 
tions and  agonizing  groans  and  ecstatic  shouts  they  worked 
themselves  and  each  other,  and  were  worked,  into  a  state  of 
emotional  frenzy. 

When,  through  the  effects  of  emotional  subjectivity,  an 
individual  felt  himself  distinctly  in  touch  with  the  spiritual 
plane  of  intelligence,  he  sprang  to  his  feet  and  proclaimed 
in  ecstatic  shouts  that  he  was  "saved."  Or,  in  some  instances, 
the  individual  fell  prostrate  upon  the  floor  in  a  condition  of 
trance.  In  this  event  he  was  removed  and  cared  for  by  those 
whose  intelligence  was  still  intact. 

Through  the  process  of  emotional  subjectivity  many  were 
thus  brought  into  direct  contact  with  the  spiritual  plane. 
They  were  thus  conscious  of  definite  spiritual  experiences. 
For  the  time  being  they  felt  that  they  were  in  the  atmosphere 
of  another  world,  and  so  they  were.  This  to  them  meant 
"salvation."  All  their  effort  had  been  to  receive  some  "sign" 


MEDIUMSHIP  AND  EMOTIONALISM         261 

which  should  be  to  them  a  token  that  their  sins  had  been  for- 
given. This  touch  with  the  spiritual  world  answered  to  them 
as  the  "sign"  for  which  they  had  labored  and  suffered.  It 
therefore  had  but  one  meaning.  It  was  the  tangible  and  there- 
fore unmistakable  evidence  of  "salvation."  It  could  mean 
nothing  else.  And  thus,  "many  were  brought  to  Christ,"  and 
the  revival  was  deemed  a  great  success. 

Those  who  assume  to  assert  that  the  experiences  of  these 
good  people  are  but  the  results  of  imagination  are  grievously 
mistaken.  Their  experiences  are  genuine.  Not  only  this,  they 
are  spiritual  experiences.  The  fact  that  they  are  interpreted 
by  the  individuals  as  direct  communications  from  God  is  not 
to  be  wondered  at.  This  is  precisely  what  anyone  else  would 
do  under  the  same  conditions.  Many  are  thus  "converted," 
and  many  more  receive  what  to  them  is  "sanctification"  or  the 
"second  blessing." 

Now  and  then  during  these  emotional  cataclysms  an  indi- 
vidual is  subjected  to  complete  trance  control.  Such  cases, 
however,  are  usually  pronounced  "emotional  insanity"  or  "re- 
ligious insanity"  or  "religious  mania,"  and  the  individual  is 
sent  to  an  asylum  for  the  insane.  It  is  a  matter  of  astonish- 
ment to  those  who  have  followed  the  subject  to  know  how 
few  of  this  class  ever  fully  recover. 

Within  the  last  few  months  an  authentic  instance  is  re- 
ported from  a  neighboring  state  where  almost  an  entire  com- 
munity was  thrown  into  a  state  of  emotional  religious  frenzy 
as  a  result  of  just  such  a  revival  as  above  referred  to.  Three  of 
the  leaders  were  officially  pronounced  insane  and  committed 
to  the  asylum,  while  many  others  were  temporarily  nan 
compos. 

A  contemporaneous  report  also  comes  from  a  neighboring 
country  to  the  effect  that  an  entire  colony,  numbering  into 
the  thousands,  has  very  recently  fallen  under  the  spell  of  a 
peculiar  religious  emotionalism  which  has  resulted  in  a  prac- 
tical dethronement  of  reason. 

Religious  revivalism  of  the  character  here  referred  to  is 
but  an  Americanized  version  of  the  Indian  Sun  Dance.  Those 
who  participate  in  this  religious  dance  pursue  but  a  slightly 


2C2      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

different  method  of  reaching  the  same  result.  They  follow 
their  own  peculiar  method  of  working  themselves  into  a  state 
of  emotional  subjectivity.  "While  in  this  state  many  a  savage 
Indian  has  come  into  direct  and  conscious  touch  with  the 
great  braves  of  the  tribe  who  have  gone  to  the  "Happy  Hunt- 
ing Ground."  To  such  it  is  a  spiritual  reunion.  It  means 
to  them  all  that  the  religious  revival  means  to  those  who  par- 
ticipate in  it. 

The  dance  of  the  Dervishes  is  but  the  same  thing  in  a  still 
more  primitive  and  barbaric  form.  This  dance  only  illustrates 
their  own  peculiar  method  of  reaching  the  same  state  of  emo- 
tional subjectivity. 

It  was  the  writer's  privilege  recently  to  spend  a  week  in 
the  company  of  a  prominent  Methodist  revivalist  of  the  East, 
who  is  well-known  from  one  end  of  the  country  to  the  other 
as  a  man  who  possesses  "the  power"  to  an  unusual  degree. 
During  the  course  of  the  acquaintance,  in  response  to  a  line 
of  inquiry,  he  stated  that  he  seldom  made  any  definite  or 
special  preparation  for  his  meetings.  He  had  found  that  he 
seemed  to  do  better  work  when  he  trusted  entirely  to  "the 
inspiration  of  the  moment."  It  was  his  custom  to  enter  upon 
a  revival  meeting  with  just  one  central  purpose,  and  that  was 
to  "Work  'em  up,  work  'em  up,  and  keep  right  on  working 
'em  up,"  until  he  got  them  to  "climbing  over  each  other  to 
get  to  the  mourners'  bench." 

With  much  enjoyable  enthusiasm  he  recounted  an  instance 
wherein  he  succeeded  in  rousing  his  hearers  to  such  a  pitch 
of  emotional  enthusiasm  that  as  many  as  twenty  or  more 
fell  in  convulsions  during  a  single  service  and  had  to  be  re- 
moved from  the  room.  With  the  light  of  a  splendid  enthus- 
iasm burning  in  his  eyes,  as  he  recalled  the  incident,  and  his 
face  aglow  with  the  memory  of  it,  he  washed  his  hands  in 
imaginary  water  and  repeated  over  and  over:  "My,  but  it  was 
fun !" 

Upon  being  asked  what  was  the  most  difficult  problem 
with  which  he  had  to  deal  in  his  religious  work,  he  replied, 
with  a  twinkle  of  humor,  "To  make  'em  stick."  He  after- 
ward explained  the  meaning  of  this  quaint  phrase  by  stating 


MEDIUMSHIP  AND  EMOTIONALISM         263 

that  soon  after  the  close  of  each  revival  season  even  the  most 
ardent  religious  enthusiasts  began  to  grow  cold  and  indiffer- 
ent, and  within  a  few  weeks  were  in  the  same  lethargic  state 
of  religious  coma  as  before.  When  the  revival  season  came 
on  again  and  he  returned  to  them,  he  found  it  necessary  to 
begin  all  over  again  and  "work  'em  up"  from  the  beginning. 

It  seemed  a  marvelous  and  inexplicable  thing  to  him  that 
he  could  not  "make  'em  stick."  Many  of  them  had  even  com- 
plained to  him  that  they  had  never  been  able  to  feel  the 
"power"  except  in  the  midst  of  the  revival  services.  From 
the  hour  the  meeting  closed  they  could  no  longer  feel  the 
wonderful  "thrill"  of  the  "Divine  Presence."  It  was  to_  them 
just  as  if  God  had  left  when  the  minister  departed. 

To  one  who  is  able  at  will  to  view  a  revival  service  from 
the  spiritual  plane  as  well  as  from  the  physical,  these  per- 
plexing questions  are  all  fully  and  rationally  answered. 

There  are  within  the  first  spiritual  sphere  vast  multitudes 
of  spiritual  intelligences  who  actively  participate "  from  the 
spiritual  plane  in  these  revival  services.  Many  of  these  are 
religious  fanatics  who  have  carried  their  religious  enthusiasm 
with  them  into  the  spiritual  life.  After  the  natural  period  of 
adjustment  to  the  new  condition  of  things  they  take  up  the 
lines  of  religious  -work  there  with  the  same  enthusiasm  as 
here.  They  find  a  character  of  sensuous  satisfaction  in  the 
.magnetic  conditions  which  result  from  these  revival  services. 
From  the  spiritual  plane  they  supplement  the  work  of  the 
minister  as  far  as  possible;  Whenever  and  wherever  they 
find  it  possible  to  do  so  they  bring  to  those  who  are  upon  the 
earth  plane  definite  psychical  experiences.  It  is  these  and 
such  as  these  who  furnish  the  "power"  which  is  so  distinctly 
felt  by  many  of  the  most  emotional  workers  from  the  physical 
plane. 

Then  again,  in  addition  to  these  religious  devotees  upon 
the  spiritual  plane  there  are  also  vast  multitudes  of  "earth- 
bound"  spirits  who  find  a  wholly  different  and  much  less 
worthy  character  of  satisfaction  in  these  revival  meetings. 
Through  the  negative  condition  of  intense  emotionalism 
these  often  find  it  possible  to  ride  into  the  consciousness  of 


264      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

the  sinner  "under  conviction,"  as  it  were,  and  take  complete 
control  of  all  his  intelligent  faculties,  capacities  and  powers. 
In  such  instances  the  unfortunate  individual  is  generally  pro- 
nounced insane  and  sent  to  an  insane  asylum,  from  which 
statistics  show  that  comparatively  few  escape. 

When  the  meeting  closes  and  the  revivalist  goes  to  another 
field  of  labor  his  spiritual  helpers  accompany  him.  And  thus: 
it  is  that  their  influence  is  no  longer  felt  by  those  who  are 
left  behind.  This  is  why  it  is  that  to  many  an  earnest  soul 
it  appears  that  God  leaves  when  the  revivalist  goes  away. 
This  is  why  it  is  that  the  revivalist  finds  it  impossible  to 
"make  'em  stick."  This  is  the  solution  of  the  mystery  of 
"backsliding."  This  is  the  reason  it  becomes  necessary  to 
"work  'em  up"  each  time  from  the  beginning.  This  also  ex- 
plains why  it  is  that  many  a  troubled  soul  is  unable  to  feel 
the  "thrill"  of  the  "Divine  Presence"  except  when  the  revival 
is  on.  To  feel  good  is  one  thing.  To  be  good  or  do  good 
is  quite  another. 

It  not  infrequently  occurs  that  those  upon  the  earth  plane 
who  have  been  most  successful  in  reaching  a  state  of  emo- 
tional subjectivity  are  left  unprotected  upon  the  spiritual 
plane  when  the  revivalist  and  his  helpers  pass  to  other  fields  of 
labor.  In  such  instances  it  almost  invariably  follows  that  evil 
spirits  take  the  place  of  the  helpers  and  gradually  obtain  com- 
plete control  of  the  individual.  The  result  is  some  form  of 
insanity  or  religious  mania,  often  ending  in  murder,  suicide, 
or  a  formal  commitment  to  an  insane  asylum. 

The  magnetic  conditions  which  accompany  the  religious 
revival  closely  resemble  those  of  the  spiritualistic  seance. 
They  are  such  as  to  enable  the  spiritual  workers  to  approach 
very  closely  the  plane  of  physical  nature  and  exert  their  in- 
fluence with  more  or  less  directness  upon  those  in  the  physical 
body.  There  is,  however,  one  essential  difference.  In  the 
spiritual  seance  those  upon  the  physical  plane  understand  with 
some  degree  of  accuracy  the  specific  purpose  of  the  meeting. 
They  therefore  more  or  less  intelligently  supplement  the  spir- 
itual intelligences  in  their  efforts  to  develop  mediumistic  con- 
trol. 


MEDIUMSHIP  AND  EMOTIONALISM         265 

In  the  religious  revival  this  is  not  true  to  the  same  ex- 
tent. Few,  if  any,  of  the  members  of  the  church  know  that 
the  "power"  they  feel  and  recognize  is  the  result  of  spiritual 
intelligences  working  upon  them  by  and  through  the  magnetic 
conditions  which  surround  them.  Most,  if  not  all  of  them, 
attribute  the  "power''  to  nothing  else  than  God  himself. 
Few,  if  any  of  them,  understand  that  intense  emo- 
tionalism produces  paralysis  of  the  will  and  thereby 
a  psychically  negative  condition.  They  work  upon 
each  other's  emotional  natures  without  definite  pur- 
pose. They  only  know  that  this,  in  course  of  time  and 
persistent  effort,  will  produce  a  condition  of  emotional  ecstasy 
which,  during  the  period  of  its  transcendency,  puts  them  in 
touch  with  the  spiritual  world.  To  them  this  spiritual  touch 
is  the  "Divine  Presence."  This  is  the  religion  of  feeling. 

A  few  years  ago  the  writer  attended  a  series  of  revival 
services  under  the  direction  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  D.,  at  that  time 
a  prominent  and  successful  revivalist.  One  evening  in  the 
midst  of  the  service  the  writer  very  unexpectedly  found  him- 
self the  central  object  of  a  most  earnest  exhortation  by  the 
minister  ably  supplemented  by  a  number  of  his  leading  co- 
workers.  After  an-  hour  of  most  interesting  and  pleasant 
discussion  the  Rev.  Dr.  closed  the  incident  with  an  invitation 
to  call  upon  him  the  following  afternoon  at  his  study  to  listen 
to  the  narration  of  what  he  evidently  regarded  as  a  most 
unusual  and  wonderful  personal  experience.  The  invitation 
was  cordially  accepted  and  at  the  appointed  hour  the  writer 
found  himself  closeted  with  the  good  man  alone  in  his  study. 

In  the  course  of  the  talk  which  followed  the  minister 
narrated  the  following  experience  which  he  evidently  hoped 
and  expected  would  carry  conviction  with  it  and  win  for  him 
a  new  convert  to  the  Faith. 

It  was  his  custom  before  each  regular  service  to  spend  half 
an  hour  alone  in  his  study  in  silent  prayer.  It  had  recently 
come  to  be  that  whenever  he  thus  knelt  in  prayer  the  room 
would  soon  be  filled  with  "angels"  who  gathered  about  him 
in  solemn  service  and  gave  him  their  benediction.  Follow- 
ing this,  when  -he  entered  the  pulpit  and  began  to  preach,  he 


266      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

had  come  to  be  fully  conscious  of  the  personal  presence  of 
Christ,  who  always  stood  just  back  of  him  and  slightly  to  his 
right. 

In  reply  to  questions  concerning  these  experiences  he 
stated  that  on  one  or  two  occasions  he  had  been  able  to  see 
the  "angels"  very  distinctly  as  they  gathered  about  him  and  at 
times  could  even  hear  their  words.  But  he  had  never  looked 
into  their  faces  for  the  reason  that  the  experience  was  to  him 
too  sacred  to  admit  of  any  exhibition  of  curiosity  on  his  part. 
He  had  been  able  to  note  the  fact,  however,  that,  so  far  as  he 
had  observed,  they  appeared  to  be  much  like  men  and  women 
upon  the  physical  plane,  except  that  they  were  always  in  white 
robes  and  seemed  to  bring  with  them  a  luminous  atmosphere. 

During  his  sermons  and  exhortations,  while  fully  con- 
scious of  the  presence  of  Christ,  he  had  never  seen  him  dis- 
tinctly for  the  reason  that  the  "Master"  always  stood  some- 
what back  of  him.  He  had,  however,  on  a  number  of  occa- 
sions seen  the  folds  of  his  flowing  white  robe  and  had  dis- 
tinctly felt  the  touch  of  his  hand  upon  his  shoulder.  On  a 
number  of  occasions  he  had  also  found  himself  .preaching 
upon  a  topic  wholly  foreign  to  his  intentions  and  repeating 
words  which  were  impressed  upon  him  by  the  "Master,"  as 
if  they  were  his  own. 

When  the  subject  had  been  carried  to  a  point  where  it 
seemed  possible  and  expedient  to  do  so,  the  writer  confessed 
that  he  too  had  seen  the  "angels"  even  during  the  course  of 
their  then  conversation,  and  that  during  the  services  of  the 
preceding  evening  he  had  distinctly  seen  the  spiritual  indi- 
vidual who  stood  back  of  him  in  the  pulpit,  and  that  from  his 
own  personal  observation  he  was  fully  convinced  that  the 
white-robed  individuals  who  came  to  him  in  prayer  were  only 
ex-human  beings,  some  of  whom  the  minister  had  known  upon 
the  earth  plane  in  other  days  as  relatives  and  friends. 

The  writer  further  stated  that  the  individual  whom  the 
Rev.  Dr.  had  supposed  to  be  Christ  was  none  other  than  an 
ex-human  minister  of  the  Gospel  whom  the  Dr.  had  at  one 
time  known  upon  the  physical  plane.  It  was  then  suggested 
that  he  might  be  able  to  verify  these  statements  by  a  personal 


MEDIUMSHIP  AND  EMOTIONALISM         267 

inspection,  if  he  cared  to  do  so,  and  deemed  it  a  matter  of 
sufficient  importance  to  command  his  attention. 

It  would  seem  that  this  suggestion  had  left  its  impression, 
for  the  following  afternoon  when  the  writer  again  called  upon 
him  by  appointment  he  found  the  good  Dr.  deeply  troubled. 
He  had  looked  into  the  faces  of  his  "angel"  friends  and  had 
found  that  one  of  them  was  his  own  father,  another  his 
brother,  and  that  among  the  number  were  other  relatives  and 
former  friends  whom  he  had  known  during  their  sojourn 
upon  earth.  He  had  also  turned  from  his  pulpit  and  suddenly 
looked  into  the  face  of  the  "Master"  and  had  found  to  his 
amazement  that  he  too  was  only  an  ex-human  friend  of  other 
years. 

This  particular  incident  has  its  value  in  that  it  illustrates, 
among  other  things,  the  following  specific  points  of  interest: 

I.  Every  religious  devotee  who  has  come  into  conscious 
touch  with  the  world  of  spiritual  nature,  regardless  of  sect, 
creed  or  denomination,  naturally  endeavors  to  fit  his  psychic 
experiences  to  his  then  existing  religious  beliefs  and  convic- 
tions. 

2..  His  preconceived  religious  ideas,  therefore,  unwittingly 
color  all  his  psychic  experiences  with  the  peculiar  tinge  of  his 
particular  religious  faith. 

3.  To  the  extent  that  this  is  true  he  is  not  in  position  to 
accurately  understand  or  interpret  the  meaning  of  his  reli- 
gious experiences. 

4.  It  is  a  fact  well  known  to  Natural  Science  that  there 
are  psychics  in  various  degrees  of  development  among  all  the 
different  religious  organizations. 

5.  The  earnest  and  enthusiastic   revivalist,   through  the 
process    of    emotional    subjectivity,    not    infrequently    comes 
into  conscious  touch  with  the  spiritual  plane. 

6.  Unless  his  spiritual  experiences  are  of  an  unusually 
vivid  and  definite  character  he  is  able  without  difficulty  to  so 
interpret  them  as  to  conform  with  his  preconceived  ideas  and 
religious  beliefs. 

An  interesting  and  fruitful  study  of  emotionalism  is  also 
to  be  found  in  the  negro  race.  It  is  a  fact  known  to  science 


268      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

and  fully  recognized  by  the  world  in  general,  that  among  all 
the  different  races  the  negro  represents  the  most  emotional 
type  of  human  nature.  His  life,  habits,  customs  and  char- 
acter all  combine  to  express  emotional  feeling.  -He  lives  al- 
most entirely  upon  the  plane  of  the  senses.  Naturally,  there- 
fore, the  negro  in  his  native  element  is  the  intellectual  infant 
of  humanity. 

Nothing,  perhaps,  more  peculiarly  illustrates  these  pre- 
dominating characteristics  of  the  race  than  the  old  fashioned 
negro  revival.  They  throw  themselves  into  these  services 
with  an  emotional  abandon  which  carries  everything  before 
it.  They  appear  to  fairly  revel  in  the  sensuous  pleasure  it 
affords  them.  Their  religion  is  to  them  very  largely  a  mat- 
ter of  feeling.  Even  the  music  which  best  expresses  their 
character  and  state  of  being  is  a  sort  of  religious  "rag-time," 
having  a  rhythm  and  a  swing  which  act  as  a  powerful  emo- 
tional excitant. 

It  is  a  matter  of  interest  in  this  connection  to  note  the 
characteristic  difference  between  the  negro  and  the  Ameri- 
can Indian.  The  ruling  characteristic  of  the  negro  is  emo- 
tionalism. He  has  never  tried  to  control  it.  It  is  everywhere 
and  at  all  times  at  the  very  surface  of  his  nature  and  ready 
to  demand  expression.  For  this  reason  the  negro  finds  it  not 
only  easy  but  perfectly  natural  to  fall  into  a  state  of  emotional 
subjectivity.  An  hour  of  religious  emotionalism  is  sufficient 
to  carry  an  entire  negro  camp  meeting  to  the  verge  of  hys- 
teria, if  not  to  a  state  of  complete  trance. 

The  ruling  characteristic  of  the  American  Indian,  on  the 
other  hand,  is  his  indomitable  will.  He  has  cultivated  this 
with  even  greater  care  and  persistence  than  the  negro  has  cul- 
tivated emotionalism.  His  own  emotional  nature  is  under  the 
absolute  control  of  his  will.  As  might  be  expected,  he  finds 
it  much  more  difficult  to  produce  in  himself  the  condition  of 
subjectivity  necessary  to  reach  the  plane  of  psychic'  experi- 
ences. His  religious  dance  is  a  complete  verification  of  this 
fact.  He  usually  prepares  for  it  with  fasting  and  solitude.  He 
proceeds  to  the  task  deliberately  and  methodically.  He  begins 
with  slow  and  measured  tread  and  for  hours,  often  days, 


MEDIUMSHIP  AND  EMOTIONALISM         269 

without  ceasing  goes  on  and  on  with  an  ever  ascending  scale 
of  enthusiasm  until  at  last  physical  nature  is  completely  ex- 
hausted and  he  finds  himself  in  touch  with  the  spiritual  plane, 
whereupon  he  falls  into  a  state  of  trance.  Then  it  is  that  he 
communes  with  the  spirit  braves  of  his  tribe. 

In  perfect  harmony  with  their  characteristic  natures  it  is 
found  that  the  negro  race  is  the  most  susceptible  to  the  hyp- 
notic process  while  the  Indian  is  among  the  least  so. 

With  perfect  consistency  it  is  also  found  that  the  animal 
which  has  not  yet  risen  to  the  plane  of  intellectuality  is  nev- 
ertheless an  intensely  emotional  being.  He  lives  entirely  upon 
the  plane  of  the  senses.  In  his  emotional  nature  he  approaches 
very  closely  the  level  of  human  nature.  He  experiences  with 
intensity  the  emotions  of  jealousy,  affection,  anger,  fear,  joy, 
and  sorrow,  and  he  gives  instant  and  unrestrained  expression 
to  his  emotional  nature  only  because  he  does  not  possess  the 
power  of  reason. 

There  is  never  a  time  when  men  and  women  so  much  re- 
semble the  animal  as  when  they  give  unrestrained  expression 
to  ultra  emotionalism.  Why?  Because  then  it  is  that  they 
manifest  the  least  reason  and  the  most  feeling.  In  propor- 
tion as  an  individual  lives  upon  the  plane  of  his  sensuous  na- 
ture he  gives  expression  to  his  animal  nature.  In  proportion 
as  he  lives  upon  the  plane  of  his  intelligence  he  manifests  his 
distinctively  human  nature. 

It  is  therefore  a  fact  of  Nature  that  unrestrained  emotion- 
alism, like  mediumship  and  hypnotism — and  for  the  same  rea- 
son— tends  toward  animalism.  This  is  a  scientific  fact  from 
which  there  is  no  escape. 

Nota  bene. 


270       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

CHAPTER    XIV. 


MEDIUMS  AND  THEIR  MOTIVES. 

From  the  standpoint  of  the  actor  the  moral  quality  of 
every  act  of  an  intelligent  individual  must  be  measured  by  the 
motive  which  prompts  it. 

Measuring  the  subject  of  mediumship  from  the  standpoint 
of  the  medium,  therefore,  it  is  only  fair  that  each  individual 
medium  should  be  given  credit  for  whatever  worthy  motives 
inspire  him  in  his  mediumship  and  charged  with  only  those 
which  are  manifestly  unworthy. 

Measured  by  their  motives  and  intentions  alone  mediums 
naturally  divide  themselves  into  three  distinct  and  separate 
classes,  as  follows : 

i.     Those  whose  motives  and  intentions  are  good. 

2..     Those  whose  motives  and  intentions  are  indifferent. 

3.     Those  whose  motives  and  intentions  are  bad. 

Let  it  be  remembered  that  the  actual  results  accomplished 
do  not  necessarily  correspond  with  the  motives  and  inten- 
tions of  the  medium  in  any  case.  Results,  therefore,  cannot 
be  taken  as  an  index  of  the  motives  which  inspire  them.  It  is 
especially  necessary  to  bear  this  in  mind  so  that  the  ethics  of 
the  subject  may  not  be  lost  sight  of. 

Among  those  mediums  whose  motives  and  intentions  are 
admittedly  good,  are: 

1.  The  religious  medium. 

2.  The  melancholy  medium. 

3.  The  student  medium. 

4.  The  healing  medium. 

The  religious  medium,  like  the  religious  minister,  verily 
believes  that  he  is  divinely  called  to  do  an  important  work 
among  men.  His  mission  is  to  preach  and  teach  the  gospel 
of  truth  as  he  sees  it  and  understands  it.  His  confidence  in 
the  integrity  and  the  wisdom  of  his  spiritual  guides  and  con- 
trols is  as  implicit  as  that  of  the  minister  in  his  God,  and,  as 
a  general  rule,  far  more  definite  and  intelligent. 

If  he  receives  money  for  his  ministrations  he  does  no  more 


MEDIUMS  AND  THEIR  MOTIVES  271 

than  the  teachers  of  other  religions.  Even  the  most  humble 
and  devout  minister  of  Christ,  the  Master  whose  personal  ex- 
ample would  condemn  such  a  practice,  preaches  and  teaches 
for  money.  He  does  this  upon  the  theory  that  "The  laborer 
is  worthy  of  his  hire."  He  must  live.  He  cannot  devote  his 
life  to  preaching  the  gospel,  even  the  gospel  of  Christ,  if  he 
must  in  other  ways  earn  the  money  necessary  to  provide  for 
his  physical  necessities. 

The  same  is  literally  true  with  the  medium,  but  with  added 
emphasis.  His  mediumship  absorbs  his  time.  It  saps  his 
physical  and  mental  vitality.  It  unfits  him  in  every  way  for 
earning  by  other  methods  the  means  which  his  physical  ne- 
cessities demand.  The  fact,  therefore,  that  he  receives  a  money 
consideration  for  the  labor  he  bestows  upon  the  world  must 
not  be  counted  against  him  any  more  than  it  is  counted  against 
the  Christian  minister.  The  two  stand  upon  precisely  the 
same  ethical  platform  in  this  regard.  If  it  is  admissible  under 
any  conditions  or  circumstances  whatever  to  receive  material 
dollars  in  return  for  spiritual  dogmas  and  doctrines,  then  it 
is  as  proper  for  the  medium  to  do  so,  as  it  is  for  the  minister. 

The  melancholy  medium  has  but  one  motive.  He  desires 
to  be  reunited  with  the  loved  ones  who  have  descended  ahead 
of  him  into  the  valley  of  the  shadow  and  have  passed  from  his 
physical  vision.  The  impelling  motive  is  love,  the  highest  and 
noblest  activity  of  the  soul.  It  is  the  one  motive  of  all  mo- 
tives which  commends  itself  to  every  intelligent  man  and  wo- 
man. Inspired  by  the  hope  of  bridging  the  dark  gulf  which 
separates  the  average  mortal  from  the  absent  loved  ones,  many 
an  honest  man  and  woman  have  submitted  to  the  mediumistic 
process  with  no  thought  of  its  possible  danger  or  harmful- 
ness  or  immorality. 

The  student  medium  is  in  search  of  knowledge.  He  de- 
votes himself  to  the  practice  of  mediumship  in  order  that  he 
may  acquire  it.  There  is  not  so  much  of  the  altruistic  in  his 
motives  and  intentions  as  there  is  in  those  of  the  religious  me- 
dium. But  we  all  recognize  the  value  of  knowledge,  even 
though  the  purpose  which  inspires  the  search  for  it  may  be 
more  or  less  tinged  with  selfishness. 


272      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

The  student  medium  honestly  believes  that  he  is  pursuing 
a  legitimate  and  proper  method  of  acquiring  the  knowledge 
he  most  desires.  He  believes  that  he  is  justly  entitled  to 
whatever  he  can  thus  obtain.  He  therefore  stands  upon  the 
ethical  platform  with  the  physical  scientist  who  delves  into  the 
mysteries  of  nature  solely  for  the  satisfaction  it  af- 
fords him  individually.  His  position,  however,  is  per- 
haps more  nearly  identical  with  that  of  the  metaphysi- 
cal student.  Both  of  these  are  in  search  of  spirit- 
ual truth.  Each  pursues  his  own  particular  method  of 
obtaining  it,  but  the  object  sought  is  the  same,  knowledge. 
No  one  thinks  of  condemning  the  metaphysical  student,  be- 
cause it  is  known  that  he  is  in  search  of  knowledge.  But  so 
is  the  student  medium.  If  we  are  to  judge  men  solely  by 
their  motives  and  intentions  why  should  we  condemn  the  one 
and  not  the  other?  This  is  a  question  for  the  metaphysi- 
cian. 

The  healing  medium  occupies  a  somewhat  different  posi- 
tion. He  is  led  by  his  controls  to  believe  that  he  possesses 
great  healing  powers  which  he  is  under  obligation  to  devote 
to  the  interests  of  humanity.  By  a  sort  of  compact  between 
him  and  his  controls  he  surrenders  himself  as  an  instrument 
in  their  hands  for  healing  purposes  in  return  for  the  services 
they  render  him  in  a  financial  way.  It  is  a  species  of  bar- 
gain and  sale  which  is  recognized  by  most  men  and  women  as 
entirely  legitimate.  From  the  standpoint  of  motive  alone, 
quite  aside  from  the  question  of  the  principle  and  the  process 
involved,  we  are  therefore  not  in  position  to  condemn  the  heal- 
ing medium  any  more  than  we  are  the  Christian  Scientist  or 
the  metaphysical  healer. 

It  must  not  be  forgotten,  however,  that  in  all  these  in- 
stances we  are  always  compelled  to  consider  the  results  to  both 
the  individual  and  society.  Therefore,  in  the  final  analysis 
of  mediumship  and  the  mediumistic  process  we  cannot  stop 
with  the  motives  and  intentions  of  the  medium  any  more  than 
we  can  with  those  of  the  anarchist  who  assassinates  the  presi- 
dent of  a  great  nation  under  the  mistaken  conviction  that  he  is 
thereby  rendering  a  great  and  valuable  service  to  society.  The 


MEDIUMS  AND  THEIR  MOTIVES  273 

final  tribunal  to  which  all  these  questions  must  be  submitted 
for  ethical  judgment  must  take  into  account  not  only  the  mo- 
tives and  intentions  of  the  individual,  but  his  rights,  duties 
and  obligations  as  well,  both  to  himself  and  to  society  of  which 
he  is  an  integral  part. 

Among  those  mediums  whose  motives  and  intentions  are 
neither  good  nor  bad,  but  more  properly  designated  as  in- 
different, the  following  classes  are  most  conspicuous : 

i.     The  curiosity  seeker. 

2..     The  entertainer. 

There  are  a  good  many  mediums  who  become  such  solely 
because  of  their  desire  to  satisfy  their  sense  of  curiosity  con- 
cerning mediumistic  phenomena.  After  this  has  been  sat- 
isfied their  interest  in  the  subject  ceases.  They  have  in  their 
minds  neither  good  nor  evil,  and  think  little  or  nothing  of  the 
results  to  either  themselves  or  others. 

There  are  many  others  who  submit  themselves  to  the  me- 
diumistic process  solely  for  the  pleasure  it  affords  their  friends. 
By  this  method  they  become  successful  entertainers  and 
thereby  gratify  a  certain  sense  of  vanity  which  is  not  at  all  un- 
common among  both  men  and  women.  The  motive,  therefore, 
is  more  or  less  complex  in  its  essential  nature,  but  when  an- 
alyzed carefully,  defines  itself  as  neither  essentially  good  nor 
essentially  bad. 

Since  there  is  little,  if  anything,  to  condemn  and  practi- 
cally nothing  to  commend  in  the  motives  of  these  two  classes 
of  mediums,  it  seems  both  consistent  and  proper  to  classify 
them  among  those  whose  motives  and  intentions  are  indif- 
ferent. 

Those  mediums  whose  motives  and  intentions  are  unques- 
tionably bad  naturally  group  themselves  as  follows : 

i.     The  business  medium. 

2..     The  ambitious  medium. 

3.  The  vicious  medium. 

4.  The  fakir  medium. 

In  the  first  and  fourth  classes  here  mentioned  the  impelling 
motive  is  money,  in  the  second  power  and  popularity,  and  in 
the  third  self-gratification  and  conquest.  The  first  and  fourth, 


274      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

therefore,  stand  for  the  gratification  of  greed,  the  second  for 
the  gratification  of  vanity,  and  the  third  for  the  gratification 
of  all  the  baser  appetites,  evil  passions  and  criminal  desires 
of  degenerate  human  nature. 

Those  who  are  at  all  familiar  with  the  subject  will  be  able 
to  identify  among  their  mediumistic  acquaintances  one  or 
more  representatives  of  these  various  classes. 

The  business  medium  flourishes  in  great  abundance  in  all 
the  large  cities  of  the  country.  His  advertisements  are  found 
in  all  the  leading  metropolitan  journals.  They  are,  for  the 
most  part,  as  false  as  it  is  possible  to  frame  falsehoods  in  hu- 
man language.  The  following  extracts  taken  at  random  from 
one  of  the  leading  Chicago  journals  will  give  some  slight  im- 
pression of  the  depths  of  moral  turpitude  to  which  the  aver- 
age professional  business  medium  is  ready  to  descend  in  his 
greed  for  money. 

"Hundreds  turned  away !  Doubters  awe-stricken !  Your  life  an 
open  book!  Wonderful  gifts!  Extraordinary  clairvoyant  powers  com- 
bined with  superior  knowledge  of  occult  forces.  Tells  you  names  of 
your  friends  and  enemies,  who  is  true  and  who  is  false.  Who  you 
are,  your  name,  age,  occupation,  where  you  live,  the  number  of  your 
house,  and  street  you  live  on.  Settles  lovers'  quarrels,  reunites  the  sep- 
arated. Causes  a  speedy  and  happy  marriage  with  the  one  of  your 
choice.  The  earth  reveals  to  him  her  hidden  treasures.  He  locates 
mines,  removes  evil  influences,  locates  buried  treasures,  settles  old  es- 
tates that  time  has  placed  beyond  the  lawyers'  shrewdness,  makes  you 
successful  in  business,  restores  lost  affections,  locates  lost  friends. 
Pretenders  copy  his  advertisements!  Beware  of  FRAUDS!  Consult 
ONLY  THE  BEST!  $5  READINGS  FOR  $i ! !" 

The  great  marvel  of  it  all  lies  in  the  fact  that  such  un- 
masked and  manifest  perfidy  should  be  able  to  find  sufficient 
credulity  among  the  average  human  intelligence  to  pay  the 
advertiser  for  his  time,  trouble  and  advertising. 

Every  man  and  woman  with  sufficient  intelligence  to  seek 
shelter  when  it  rains  knows  that  if  any  one  of  these  wonder- 
workers were  able  to  discover  "the  hidden  treasures  of  earth," 
or  could  successfully  "locate  mines,"  he  would  be  selling  $i 
shares  of  mining  stock  at  $5  each,  instead  of  $5  readings  at 
$i  each.  It  would  require  the  location  of  but  just  one  good 
gold,  silver,  copper,  iron,  or  even  coal  mine  to  make  a  multi- 
millionaire of  any  one  of  these  exalted  seers  and  seeresses  to 


MEDIUMS  AND  THEIR  MOTIVES  275 

whom  God  has  turned  over  the  keys  which  unlock  the  doors 
to  the  most  profound  secrets  of  Nature. 

The  falsehood  is  so  glaringly  patent  it  would  seem  utterly 
impossible  that  anyone  should  fail  to  see  it  and  note  it  and 
profit  by  it.  And  yet,  there  are  supposedly  intelligent  men 
and  women  in  all  the  varied  walks  and  stations  of  life  whose 
patronage  makes  it  possible  for  such  charlatans  to  thrive. 

Many  of  these  advertisers  are  mediums  in  fact.  That  is 
to  say,  they  have  been  regularly  "developed"  as  such,  and 
might  be  able  to  demonstrate  some  degree  of  reliability  within 
certain  fixed  limitations.  But  they  are  not  satisfied  with  their 
limitations.  The  great  speculative  world  that  gambles  in 
spiritualistic  stocks  demands  something  more  occult  and  more 
wonderful  than  they  are  able  to  furnish.  In  other  words, 
there  is  not  sufficient  merit  in  their  mediumship  to  command 
the  money  they  so  much  covet.  They,  therefore,  supply  the 
deficiency  by  falsehood  and  fraudulent  promises  in  their  ad- 
vertisements, never  intending  to  fulfill  them. 

It  is  safe  to  say  that  there  is  not  a  professional  business 
medium  before  the  public  today  who  advertises  himself  strictly 
within  the  lines  of  truth  when  stating  his  claims  to  the  world. 

The  fakir  medium  differs  from  the  ordinary  business  me- 
dium only  in  the  fact  that  he  does  not  stop  at  simply  advertis- 
ing more  than  he  can  perform.  He  resorts  to  deliberate  leg- 
erdemain. What  he  is  unable  to  accomplish  honestly  and  le- 
gitimately he  attempts  to  cover  by  sleight-of-hand.  By  a  spe- 
cies of  artifice,  jugglery  and  fraudulent  pretense  he  attempts, 
at  the  risk  of  exposure,  to  satisfy  his  patrons  with  deception 
and  purchase  their  confidence  with  trickery.  It  is  astonishing 
how  many  of  these  succeed  and  how  well  they  manage  to 
avoid  detection. 

This  phase  of  the  subject,  it  would  appear,  now  and  then 
makes  its  impress  upon  the  minds  of  spiritualists  themselves, 
as  shown  by  the  following  quotation  from  the  current  issue  of 
a  leading  spiritualistic  journal.  The  author  says: 

"Is  it  the  law  of  the  survival  of  the  fittest,  or  is  it  merely  the  fault 
of  spiritualism  that  only  the  most  impudent  quacks  and  impostors  of 
all  kinds  should  flourish  and  fatten  under  its  banner? 

"Having   for  many  years   traveled   in    England,   France,    Germany, 


276      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

Australia,  New  Zealand,  and  America,  and  throughout  the  best  part 
of  twenty  years  taken  an  intelligent  interest  in  spiritualism  and  its 
adherents,  the  above  query  is  the  result." 

There  are  many  other  honest  spiritualists  who  have  made 
the  same  inquiry. 

The  ambitious  medium  is  the  "politician"  of  his  cult.  He 
is  forever  "playing  for  place."  It  is  not  so  much  money  as 
popularity,  or  even  notoriety  he  seeks.  He  employs  his  me- 
diumistic arts,  "gifts"  and  "powers"  to  attract  the  attention 
and  command  the  homage  of  the  world  to  him  as  a  sort  of 
"superior  being"  or  "special  creation."  This  flatters  him  and 
satisfies  his  vanity.  The  motive  is  almost  as  base  as  that 
which  inspires  the  business  medium  and  the  fakir. 

The  vicious  medium  belongs  to  a  class  by  himself.  His 
central  purpose  is  to  gratify  as  far  as  possible  the  baser  appe- 
tites, evil  passions  and  criminal  desires  of  a  perverse  and  de- 
generate nature.  He  lives  entirely  upon  the  plane  of  the 
senses.  His  mediumship  represents  a  voluntary  alliance  be- 
tween degenerate  spiritual  intelligences  on  the  one  side  and 
a  depraved  human  intelligence  on  the  other.  The  purpose  is 
mutual  sensuous  gratification. 

It  is  a  well  known  fact  of  Natural  Science  that  between  the 
licentious  of  earth  and  the  licentious  of  the  spiritual  world 
the  sex  appetites,  passions  and  desires  constitute  a  powerful 
magnetic  bond.  It  is  known  that  through  the  mediumistic 
process  these  libidinous  appetites,  passions  and  desires  may 
be  gratified,  to  a  considerable  extent.  It  is  also  known  that  in 
many  instances  this  abnormal  and  illegitimate  relation  be- 
tween medium  and  control  is  substituted  for  the  normal  rela- 
tion upon  the  plane  of  physical  nature. 

The  fact  that  prostitution  of  this  lascivious  character  is  a 
possibility  will  come  to  many  an  honest  soul  with  a  shock  of 
horror  and  profound  disgust.  The  extent  to  which  it  is  ac- 
tually practiced  would  seem  to  those  who  are  not  acquainted 
with  the  facts  to  be  an  utter  impossibility. 

For  instance :  One  of  the  best  known  and  most  prominent 
mediums  of  the  United  States,  whose  mediumistic  work  has 
favorably  impressed  many  of  those  who  have  known  her,  has 


MEDIUMS  AND  THEIR  MOTIVES  277 

confessed  to  her  friends  that  she  sustains  such  a  relation  to 
a  spiritual  lover  who  is  her  chief  control,  and  that  she  has 
done  so  for  many  years. 

This  subject  is  one  upon  which  the  world  in  general  needs 
exact  and  definite  information.  The  time  is  coming  when 
this  will  be  demanded.  At  the  present  time,  however,  it  would 
seem  impossible  to  so  state  the  simplest  facts  without  offend- 
ing those  who  most  need  to  understand  the  principle  and  the 
process  upon  which  such  a  relation  depends. 

This  is  the  legitimate  field  of  the  medical  profession.  Thus 
far  it  has  been  ignored  by  that  profession.  It  cannot  be 
longer.  In  the  name  of  humanity  the  demand  is  made.  To 
humanity  the  answer  must  be  given. 


278      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 
CHAPTER  XV. 

MEDIUMSHIP  AND  INSANITY. 

In  one  of  the  largest  western  institutions  for  the  insane  in 
the  United  States,  six  hundred  diagnoses  have  been  made 
showing  with  absolute  .certainty  that  in  fifty-eight  per  cent 
of  the  cases  thus  examined  the  sole  immediate  cause  of  insanity 
was  mediumistic  subjection.  That  is  to  say,  these  diagnoses 
showed  that  fifty-eight  per  cent  of  those  examined  were  at 
the  time  under  the  domination  and  control  of  outside,  spir- 
itual intelligences. 

It  is  a  well  known  fact  that  climatic  conditions  have  some- 
thing to  do  in  determining  the  percentage  of  insanity  to  pop- 
ulation. Local  conditions,  therefore,  must  be  taken  into  ac- 
count in  arriving  at  the  exact  figures  for  any  larger  or  dif- 
ferent territory  than  that  covered  by  the  institution  in  which 
these  examinations  were  made. 

Making  ample  allowance  for  local  variations,  however, 
it  is  reasonably  certain  that  more  than  fifty  per  cent  of  all  the 
insanity  of  the  United  States  is  the  direct  result  of  the  me- 
diumistic process.  There  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  the 
same  percentage  will  hold  good  for  all  European  countries. 

It  is  due  to  spiritualists  and  the  friends  of  spiritualism  in 
general,  however,  to  carefully  explain  that  by  no  means  all  of 
this  insanity  is  due  to  the  specific  work  of  those  who  are  known 
to  the  world  as  "mediums."  In  fact,  a  very  considerable  per- 
centage of  it  is  found  to  exist  among  men  and  women  who 
have  never  sat  for  mediumistic  development  and  who  know 
practically  nothing  of  the  mediumistic  process  or  of  the  phil- 
osophy of  modern  spiritualism. 

Many  of  these  have  unwittingly  fallen  into  a  negative  con- 
dition of  both  mind  and  body  as  a  result  of  a  wide  variety  of 
causes  which  are  in  no  wise  due  to  what  is  popularly  known 
as  "mediumship." 

The  point  of  specific  importance,  however,  to  be  noted  in 
this  connection  is  the  fact  that  whether  the  world  or  the  in- 
dividual himself  knows  it  or  not,  his  insanity  is  the  result  of 


MEDIUMSHIP  AND  INSANITY 279 

the  same  process  by  and  through  which  mediumship  is  de- 
veloped, namely,  the  subjective,  psychic  process  which  forms 
the  subject  matter  of  this  volume.  • 

There  are  many  different  methods  of  developing  the  nega- 
tive state  or  condition  necessary  to  place  a  man  or  woman 
subjectively  in  touch  with  the  world  of  spiritual  intelligence, 
without  regularly  sitting  for  mediumistic  development.  When 
this  state  or  condition  is  once  developed,  by  any  of  the  differ- 
ent methods  known  to  science,  it  exposes  the  individual  to  me- 
diumistic control  just  the  same  as  if  he  had  acquired  it 
through  the  regular  methods  known  and  practiced  by  mediums 
and  spiritualists.  The  only  difference  lies  in  the  simple  fact 
that  the  acknowledged  medium  goes  about  it  intelligently  and 
purposefully,  while  those  who  are  ignorant  of  spiritualistic 
methods  stumble  into  the  condition  without  knowing  it  or 
intending  to  do  so.  These  latter  are  pronounced  "insane" 
and  promptly  locked  up  in  the  various  insane  asy- 
lums throughout  the  country  while  the  regular  medium  is 
permitted  to  run  at  large  merely  because  he  calls  himself  a 
"medium."  This  "distinction  without  a  difference"  has  lodged 
many  a  man  and  woman  in  the  insane  asylum,  who  is  no 
more  "insane"  than  the  average  medium. 

There  are  various  different  and  specific  causes  which  lead 
men  and  women  into  the  negative  state  or  condition  which 
opens  the  door  to  mediumistic  control.  Among  the  most  im- 
portant are  the  following: 

1.  Heredity  and  prenatal  conditions. 

2.  Diet. 

3.  Solitude. 

4.  Darkness. 

5.  Introspection. 

6.  Emotionalism. 

7.  Self-indulgence. 

8.  Fasting. 

Cases  almost  without  number  might  be  cited  showing  the 
effects  of  heredity  and  prenatal  conditions  upon  children.  The 
following,  for  which  the  writer  can  personally  vouch,  will  be 
sufficient  to  illustrate  the  principle  involved: 


280      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

Mrs.  W.  was,  in  her  essential  nature,  of  the  negative  type 
of  physical  organism  and  intelligence.  In  addition  to  this 
natural  condition,  however,  she  became  interested  in  the  sub- 
ject of  spiritualism  and  was  ultimately  developed  as  a  me- 
dium. After  this,  for  some  time,  she  devoted  the  larger  part 
of  her  time  and  energies  to  her  mediumistic  work.  During 
the  entire  year  immediately  preceding  the  birth  of  her  daugh- 
ter she  was  the  principal  medium  for  a  group  of  scientific  in- 
vestigators of  psychic  phenomena.  The  daughter  was  born 
under  these  conditions. 

From  the  time  she  was  old  enough  to  express  herself  this 
child  was  what  is  often  termed  a  "natural  psychic."  She  saw 
clairvoyantly  and  heard  clairaudiently  without  the  necessity 
for  any  effort  on  her  part.  Until  she  was  six  years  old  she 
spent  the  greater  portion  of  her  waking  hours  playing  with 
her  "invisible"  playmates  from  the  spiritual  world.  At  the 
age  of  seven  she  was  regularly  developed  as  a  trance  medium, 
and  so  far  as  the  writer  knows  has  never  recovered  from  that 
condition. 

•  This  instance  clearly  shows  the  effects  ot  heredity  as  well 
as  those  of  prenatal  conditions  upon  the  development  of  chil- 
dren. 

Those  who  reach  the  negative  condition  of  mediumship 
through  the  process  of  dietetics  alone  represent  a  very  consid- 
erable number  of  those  who  afterwards  become  known  either 
as  mediums  or  as  insane.  Diet  has  its  most  direct  and  positive 
effects  upon  the  purely  physical  organism  of  the  individual. 
It  is  a  fact  of  science,  well  known  to  most  physicians,  and  es- 
pecially to  those  who  are  known  to  the  world  as  dietetists, 
that  foods  as  well  as  medicines  naturally  divide  themselves 
into  two  great  general  classes  which  are  known  and  designated 
as  "positive"  and  "negative." 

Positive  foods  and  medicines  have  the  general  effect  of 
producing  positive  magnetic  conditions  within  the  physical 
organism.  Negative  foods,  on  the  other  hand,  as  well  as  neg- 
ative medicines,  produce  the  opposite  or  negative  condition  of 
the  physical  organism. 

Generally  speaking,  a  strictly  vegetable  diet  of  any  kind 


MEDIUMSHIP  AND  INSANITY 281 

is,  comparatively,  a  magnetically  negative  diet.  While  this 
is  a  scientific  fact,  it  is  also  true  that  vegetables  differ  very 
widely  in  the  degree  of  their  positive  and  negative  properties, 
qualities  and  effects. 

For  instance:  As  a  general  proposition,  all  vegetables 
which  develop  under  the  soil  (such  as  the  potato,  the  turnip, 
the  radish,  the  carrot  and  the  beet)  are  the  most  positive  (or 
least  negative)  vegetable  foods  known.  Those  which  grow 
upon  endogenous  plants,  generally  speaking,  are  second  in 
order.  Those  which  grow  upon  exogenous  trees,  with  some 
exceptions,  are  third  in  order,  while  those  which  grow  on 
vines  take  rank  among  the  most  negative  foods.  There  are 
exceptions  among  all  these  various  classes. 

A  strictly  meat  diet  is  the  most  positive  magnetic  diet 
known.  While  the  meats  of  different  animals  possess  radi- 
cally different  degrees  of  positive  force  and  magnetic  energy, 
it  is  nevertheless  true  that,  generaly  speaking,  meats  of  all 
kinds  are  more  positive  than  vegetables.  The  meats  of  wild 
animals  are,  for  the  most  part,  mofe  positive  than  those  of 
domestic  animals.  Meats  of  carnivorous  animals  are  more 
positive  than  the  meats  of  herbivorous  animals.  The  meats 
of  animals  that  live  under  ground  are  more  positive  than  the 
meats  of  animals  that  live  above  ground.  Meats  of  all  ani- 
mals that  live  upon  the  surface  of  the  earth  are  more  positive 
than  those  of  birds  that  fly  above  the  earth. 

With  the  simple  principle  of  food  values  in  mind  it  will 
not  be  difficult  to  understand  that  diet  is  a  most  important  fac- 
tor in  the  development  of  the  positive  or  negative  magnetic 
condition  of  the  physical  organism.  In  like  measure  it  has 
its  effects  upon  the  relation  of  the  individual  to  his  spiritual 
environment. 

It  often  occurs  that  a  man  or  woman  is  physically  positive 
and  mentally  negative  at  the  same  time.  In  all  such  instances 
a  negative  diet  alone  would  be  sufficient  to  open  wide  the  door 
to  mediumistic  control.  It  is  not  necessary  for  such  an  indi- 
vidual to  sit  in  a  circle  for  mediumistic  development.  All 
he  needs  is  to  live  for  a  time  on  a  negative  vegetable  diet. 
Spiritual  intelligences  will  do  the  rest. 


282       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

Solitude  has  the  effect  of  producing  a  mentally  negative 
condition.  This  is  because  of  the  natural  tendency  to  mental 
abstraction  which  follows  from  solitude.  Man  upon  the  phys- 
ical plane  is  eminently  a  social  being.  If  deprived  of  the 
society  of  his  kind  his  mind  involuntarily  seeks  companion- 
ship in  the  realms  of  thought.  This  habit  of  contemplation 
without  definite  purpose  produces  a  psychically  negative 
condition.  The  developed  medium  is  able  to  demonstrate  the 
truth  of  this  proposition  at  any  time.  The  presence  of  his 
friends  occupies  his  mind  upon  the  plane  of  his  physical  en- 
vironment and  he  accordingly  finds  it  difficult  to  surrender 
himself  to  the  mediumistic  process  in  their  presence.  But 
a  few  moments  of  solitude  produces  the  negative  condition 
necessary  and  he  falls  into  subjection  without  effort. 

Darkness  is  a  negative  physical  condition.  It  has  upon 
man,  however,  a  double  negative  effect.  It  produces  natural 
relaxation  of  the  physical  organism  and  at  the  same  time  an 
introspective  condition  of  the  mind.  Both  of  these  are  nega- 
tive in  effect.  Darkness,  therefore,  is  most  favorable  to  me- 
diumistic control.  This  has  been  fully  demonstrated  by  me- 
diums themselves  very  often.  This  is  the  secret  of  the  dark 
circle.  It  is  the  principle  at  the  foundation  of  the  dark  cabi- 
net and  the  dark  materializing  seance. 

Introspection  means  "looking  within,"  or,  "inspection  of 
the  within."  As  a  metaphysical  proposition  it  is  a  condition 
of  consciousness  in  which  the  objective  faculties  of  the  mind 
are  inactive.  The  mind  takes  no  note  or  account  of  the  things 
that  are  at  the  time  occurring  upon  the  physical  plane.  It  is 
concerned  with  those  things  only  which  lie  within  the  con- 
scious soul  of  the  individual  himself.  It  is  occupied  with  the 
internal  plane  of  conscious  intelligence.  In  this  condition  the 
physical  body  is  always  in  a  negative  or  passive  state.  In 
this  condition  the  active,  dominating  intelligence  from  without 
may  ride  into  the  very  center  of  individual  consciousness  and, 
unless  opposed,  may  assume  control  of  all  the  faculties,  capac- 
ities and  powers  of  the  soul. 

Introspection  is  therefore  conducive  to  mediumistic  sub- 
jection. 


MEDIUMSHIP  AND  INSANITY 283 

'Emotionalism  and  Self-indulgence  have  been  sufficiently 
considered  in  previous  chapters  and  therefore  do  not  require 
further  exposition  in  this  connection. 

Fasting  is,  primarily,  a  purely  physical  process,  although 
it  has  a  strong  reflex  action  upon  the  mind  also.  When  the 
stomach  is  supplied  with  food  all  the  organs  of  the  physical 
body  related  to  the  processes  of  digestion,  distribution,  assim- 
ilation and  secretion  are  in  a  state  of  involuntary  activity. 
The  physical  organism  is  then  busy  with  the  renovating  and  re- 
newing processes.  When,  through  the  process  of  fasting,  all 
the  nutriment  supplied  to  the  system  has  been  disposed  of,  the 
physical  organism  has  nothing  more  to  do  in  its  own  behalf 
but  wait  for  more  food.  During  this  period  of  waiting  the  in- 
ternal organism  of  the  physical  body  is  in  a  negative  or  pass- 
ive condition.  It  then  becomes  a  magnet  which  strongly  at- 
tracts those  upon  the  spiritual  plane,  and  (unless  the  mind  is 
properly  schooled  and  on  guard)  opens  the  door  to  medium- 
istic  control. 

No  more  powerful  sermon  could  be  preached  to  the  great 
world  of  intelligent  humanity  than  that  which  is  contained  in 
the  simple  but  vital  suggestion  that  something  like  58  per  cent 
of  all  the  insanity  of  the  country  is  the  result  of  the  medium- 
istic  process.  This  fact  alone  is  a  commentary  in  itself  which 
should  convey  to  the  mind  of  every  intelligent  man  and  woman 
throughout  the  land  and  throughout  all  the  nations  of  earth, 
the  fundamental  fact  that  there  is  something  radically  wrong 
and  fatally  destructive  in  the  subjective  process  of  medium- 
ship. 

It  is  not  the  intention  of  this  work  to  offer  to  the  world  a 
scientific  classification  of  insanity  upon  the  principle  of  pri- 
mary causation.  Such  an  effort  could  not  be  deemed  other 
than  grossly  presumptuous.  Medical  science  has  been,  for 
many  years,  actively  engaged  in  this  great  work  in  the  cause 
of  humanity.  The  progress  made  would  seem  to  justify  the 
hope  that  its  ultimate  and  successful  completion  will  be  ac- 
complished within  the  comparatively  near  future.  Up  to  the 
present  time,  however,  there  is  a  wide  and  prolific  field  of  in- 


284      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

sanity  which  the  medical  fraternity  find  it  necessary  to  class- 
ify under  the  general  heading  of  "Causes  Unknown." 

In  this  great  class,  generally  speaking,  will  be  found  at  the 
present  time,  for  the  most  part,  the  various  forms  of  Hyster- 
ical Insanity,  Religious  Insanity,  Religious  Mania,  Emotional 
Insanity,  and  so-called  "Delusional  Insanity"  of  all  kinds  and 
degrees.  These,  however,  might  all  be  included  in  one  gen- 
eral class  and  properly  designated  as  "Mediumistic  Insanity" 
or  "Subjective  Insanity." 

There  is  material  here  for  an  entire  volume  upon  this  sub- 
ject alone.  The  importance  of  the  theme  will  be  suggested 
when  it  is  known  that,  with  very  few  exceptions,  all  these  vari- 
ous forms  of  insanity  last  above  mentioned  are  due  to  the  in- 
terposition of  outside,  spiritual  intelligences.  They,  therefore, 
only  represent  certain  specific  and  definite  degrees  of  medium- 
istic  subjection. 

With  three  simple  and  easily  demonstrable  facts  of  nature 
admitted  and  intelligently  understood,  the  medical  profes- 
sion has  the  key  in  its  own  possession  by  which  it  may  open 
the  door  to  this  seeming  mystery  and  lay  bare  to  medical 
science  and  to  the  world  The  Destructive  Principle  of  Nature 
in  Individual  Life,  which  is  at  the  foundation  of  THE 
GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME. 


Cbc  Great  Pspcbological  Crime 


Part  m 


Retributive  Justice 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  GENESIS  OF  "HELL." 
("The  Wages  of  Sin  Is  Death.") 

As  far  as  we  are  able  to  trace  the  authentic  history  of 
mankind  human  intelligence  has  intuitively  sensed  a  great  fun- 
damental law  of  Equity,  Justice  and  Right  which  runs 
throughout  all  the  manifestations  of  Nature. 

The  application  of  this  great  law  to  the  ethics  of  human 
life  constitutes  the  basis  of  all  religious  and  philosophic  sys- 
tems of  the  past  and  likewise  of  the  present. 

The  limitations  of  human  intelligence  in  its  efforts  to  grasp 
and  comprehend  this  law  in  its  entirety  and  apply  it  as  a  rule 
and  guide  of  conduct  in  the  daily  lives  of  men,  are  responsi- 
ble for  all  the  sectarianism  of  both  religion  and  philosophy, 
as  well  as  of  all  the  variations  in  governmental  systems  and 
policies  throughout  all  the  nations  of  earth. 

Although  the  law  itself  is  a  unit  in  essence,  it  manifests 
itself  to  human  intelligence  in  its  twofold  aspect  as  one  of 
the  most  stupendous  and  comprehensive  dualities  of  all  Na- 
ture, the  duality  of  Construction  and  Destruction. 

In  its  constructive  aspect  we  recognize  it  as  the  Law  of 

285 


286      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

Compensation,  or  Compensatory  Justice,  in  acordance  with  the 
Harmonics  of  Evolution. 

In  its  destructive  aspect  we  recognize  it  as  the  Law  of 
Retribution,  or  Retributive  Justice,  in  accordance  with  the 
Discords  of  Devolution. 

To  the  constructive  side  of  this  great  Law  of  Justice  is 
referable  all  that  there  is  of  individual  growth,  development, 
progress,  strength,  health,  energy,  life,  love  and  happiness, 
both  here  and  hereafter.  This  is  the  domain  of  Nature's  com- 
pensatory rewards  to  individual  intelligence  for  obedience  to 
Nature's  Evolutionary  Principle. 

The  ultimate  goal  of  individual  achievement  under  and 
in  accordance  with  the  operation  of  Nature's  Constructive 
Principle  is,  so  far  as  science  knows,  Individual  Immortality 
and  perfect  Happiness,  in  "the  fulfilling  of  the  law."  This 
is  the  achievement  which  opens  to  the  soul  the  "Gates  of  Par- 
adise." And  this  is  THE  WAY  OF  LIFE. 

To  the  destructive  side  of  this  same  great  Law  of  Justice 
is  referable  all  that  there  is  of  individual  atrophy,  weakness, 
enervation,  sickness,  suffering,  sorrow,  hate,  fear,  disease, 
dissolution,  disintegration,  decay,  unhappiness  and  death. 

This,  indeed,  is  the  domain  of  Nature's  Retributive  Pun- 
ishments to  individual  intelligence  for  disobedience  of  Na- 
ture's Evolutionary  Principle. 

The  ultimate  destiny  of  individual  intelligence  under  and 
in  accordance  with  Nature's  Destructive  Principle  is,  so  far 
as  science  knows,  Spiritual  Death,  "The  Second  Death,"  Total 
Individual  Extinction,  and  a  resolution  of  the  individual  En- 
tity back  into  Nature's  Elements  from  which  it  came. 

And  this  is  THE  WAY  OF  DEATH  and  THE  GENESIS  OF 
"HELL." 


THE  WAY  OF  DEATH 


287 


CHAPTER    II. 


THE  WAY  OF  DEATH. 

Duality  is  expressed  in  every  department  of  Nature.  Hu- 
man intelligence  recognizes  the  principle  everywhere.  In  the 
following  expressions  we  endeavor  to  clothe  it  in  human  lan- 


guage : 

Finite  and  infinite. 
Time  and  eternity. 
Beginning  and  ending. 
Light  and  darkness. 
Day  and  night. 
Transparent  and  opaque. 
White  and  black. 
Heat  and  cold. 
Summer  and  winter. 
Wet  and  dry. 
Hard  and  soft. 
Heavy  and  light. 
Large  and  small. 
Fine  and  coarse. 
Much  and  little. 
Many  and  few. 
Length  and  breadth. 
Height  and  depth. 
Up  and  down. 
In  and  out. 
Back  and  forth. 
Tall  and  short. 
Straight  and  crooked. 
Motion  and  inertia. 
Expansion  and  contraction. 
Mind  and  matter. 
Sound  and  silence. 
Harmony  and  discord. 
Labor  and  rest. 
Wealth  and  poverty. 


Health  and  sickness. 
Strength  and  weakness. 
Male  and  female. 
Man  and  woman. 
Waking  and  sleeping. 
Active  and  passive. 
Positive  and  negative. 
Sweet  and  bitter. 
Joy  and  sorrow. 
Pleasure  and  pain. 
Hope  and  despair. 
Faith  and  distrust. 
Belief  and  skepticism. 
Good  and  evil. 
Right  and  wrong. 
Truth  and  falsehood. 
Sincerity  and  deceit. 
Knowledge  and  ignorance 
Wisdom  and  folly. 
Humility  and  pride. 
Generosity  and  selfishness 
Kindness  and  cruelty. 
Love  and  hate. 
Receiving  and  giving. 
Consciousness  and  unconscious- 
ness. 

Voluntary  and  involuntary. 
Self-control  and  subjection. 
Independence  and  dependence. 
Freedom  and  slavery. 


288      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

Responsibility  and  irresponsi-  Progress  and  retrogression. 

bility.  Construction  and  destruction. 

Sanity  and  insanity.  Immortality  and  mortality. 

Evolution  and  involution.  Life  and  death. 

Integration  and  disintegration.  Heaven  and  Hell. 
Growth  and  decay. 

A  study  of  the  foregoing  will  disclose  to  the  careful  analyst 
that  in  whatever  sphere  or  department  of  Nature  the  principle 
of  quality  manifests  itself,  it  is  an  expression  of  either  simple 
contrast  or  extreme  opposites. 

As  an  example,  heat  and  cold  constitute  a  duality  which 
expresses  a  mere  contrast  in  degrees  of  temperature  with  that 
of  the  individual.  Heat  merely  expresses  a  higher  degree  of 
temperature  than  cold.  Both,  however,  express  temperature. 

So  also,  the  terms  large  and  small,  fine  and  coarse,  heavy 
and  light,  express  qualities  of  contrast  only.  They  represent 
merely  a  difference  in  the  degree  of  a  single  quality  or  prop- 
erty of  physical  Nature. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  terms  truth  and  falsehood  consti- 
tute a  duality  which  represents  two  distinct  and  separate  prin- 
ciples diametrically  opposite  in  their  essential  natures.  In 
like  manner  love  and  hate,  integration  and  disintegration,  life 
and  death,  are  dual  terms  which  express  extreme  opposites 
in  Nature. 

There  is  a  principle  in  Nature  which,  in  all  its  operations 
and  manifestations,  is  creative,  formative,  integrating,  devel- 
oping, organizing  and  evolutionary  in  its  nature  and  tenden- 
cies. It  is  known  to  science  as  "Nature's  Constructive  Prin- 
ciple." As  such  it  constitutes  an  equal  part  of  a  most  stu- 
pendous duality  in  Nature,  the  other  half  of  which  is  known 
as  ''Nature's  Destructive  Principle." 

"Construction"  and  "Destruction."  These  terms  give  ex- 
pression to  a  duality  of  extreme  opposites.  They  define  two 
of  the  most  important,  extensive,  conflicting  and  antagonistic 
processes  of  all  Nature.  They  represent  the  two  great  funda- 
mental and  essential  opposites  in  Nature  which  are  known  and 
recognized  by  scientific  thinkers  and  investigators  everywhere. 

Nature's  Destructive  Principle  is  that  half  of  the  great 


THE  WAY  OF  DEATH 289 

duality  which  is  under  consideration  in  this  chapter,  and  may 
be  deemed  the  basic  principle  which  furnishes  the  text  of  this 
particular  volume. 

It  is  hoped  and  believed  that  a  fair  and  unbiased  con- 
sideration of  this  principle  alone  will  establish  in  the  mind 
of  every  honest  and  earnest  student  a  clear  and  unmistakable 
line  of  differentiation  which  runs  throughout  all  the  objective 
manifestations  of  Nature.  It  is  also  believed  that  this  principle 
once  clearly  defined  and  understood,  will  indicate  more  clearly 
and  forcibly  than  all  things  else  the  subtle  fallacies  which  are 
involved  in  what  is  known  as  "development"  through  hypnotic 
and  mediumistic  processes. 

When  the  gigantic  boulder  which  has  been  formed  by 
and  through  the  operation  of  Nature's  Constructive  Principle 
is  lifted  from  its  native  bed  and  exposed  to  the  summer's  heat, 
the  winter's  cold,  the  dry  winds  and  the  beating  rain,  its  outer 
surface  soon  begins  to  disintegrate  and  crumble  away.  In  this 
we  observe  the  first  effects  of  Nature's  Destructive  Principle 
in  operation. 

The  Electro-Magnetic  Life  Element  of  the  great  giant  is 
being  withdrawn  and  death  is  setting  his  seal  where  life  has 
once  reigned  supreme. 

The  summers  and  the  winters  come  and  go.  The  summer 
sun  continues  to  burn  and  the  winter  cold  to  bite.  The 
.wind's  dry  breath  continues  to  blow  and  the  rains  to  beat. 
Slowly  but  surely  the  work  of  desolation  and  destruction  goes 
on.  The  giant  boulder  shrinks  and  shrivels  away  beneath 
the  continued  play  of  Nature's  hostile  forces  until  at  last  noth- 
ing remains  of  its  once  gigantic  form.  Where  it  once  rested 
nothing  but  common  earth  remains.  The  life  element  which 
once  sustained  it  has  been  dissipated  and  its  existence  as  an 
individual  entity  is  destroyed.  Its  original  particles,  both 
physical  and  spiritual,  are  scattered  to  the  ends  of  the  earth. 
Its  vital  principle  being  withdrawn,  under  the  operation  of 
Nature's  Destructive  Principle  the  once  great  boulder  as  an 
individual  entity  has  been  disorganized,  disintegrated,  scat- 
tered and  resolved  back  into  Nature's  elements  from  which  it 
came,  and  the  work  of  destruction  is  completed. 


THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

Ascending  one  round  higher  in  the  scale  of  Nature  into 
the  realm  of  the  vegetable  kingdom  we  find  the  same  princi- 
ple in  operation. 

The  splendid  oak  which,  under  the  power  of  Nature's  Con- 
structive Principle,  operating  through  the  Electro-Magnetic 
Life  Element  of  mineral  Nature  and  the  Vito-Chemical  Life 
Element  of  vegetable  Nature,  has  grown  from  the  tiny  acorn 
to  its  full  and  majestic  maturity,  stands  a  veritable  "Monarch 
of  the  Forest."  But  the  storm  comes.  The  lightning  flashes. 
The  great  monarch  is  torn  from  the  earth.  Its  huge  body  lies 
prostrate  upon  the  ground. 

Soon  the  green  leaves  begin  to  fade.  Then  they  wither 
and  fall  from  the  branches.  The  corpse  of  the  dead  monarch 
lies  bare  upon  the  earth.  Its  naked  body  and  bare  limbs  glis- 
ten in  the  sunlight. 

The  waters  come  and  cover  it  over.  The  soil  of  the  earth 
is  washed  around  and  over  it.  At  last,  after  many  ages,  it 
lies  buried  deep  within  its  earthly  grave.  The  centuries  come 
and  go.  Other  great  trees  have  grown  to  maturity  above  it. 
The  once  mighty  monarch  has  become  a  bed  of  coal.  At  last 
the  waters  recede.  Man  comes  with  his  pick  and  shovel. 
The  bed  of  coal  is  lifted  to  the  earth's  surface.  Thence  it  is 
carried  into  many  homes  and  there  burned  to  ashes.  These 
ashes  are  scattered  to  the  four  winds,  and  where  is  the  once 
stately  oak? 

With  the  lightning's  stroke  began  the  dominant  play  of  Na- 
ture's Destructive  Forces.  When  the  great  tree  lay  prostrate 
upon  the  ground  and  its  roots  glistened  in  the  sunlight  the 
channel  of  Nature's  Constructive  Energy  was  broken.  The 
Vito-Chemical  Life  Element  of  vegetable  Nature,  the  highest 
Life  Element  upon  which  the  oak  was  integrated,  escaped 
from  the  body,  branches  and  leaves  and  was  dissipated. 

When  the  waters  came  and  buried  its  great  form  deep 
down  beneath  the  surface  of  the  earth  the  chemical  action  of 
Nature's  elements  transmuted  it  into  the  bed  of  coal.  In  this 
transition  we  note  another  step  in  the  destruction  of  its  in- 
dividuality as  a  tree.  When  man  with  his  pick  and  shovel 
uncovered  the  bed  of  coal,  lifted  it  to  the  earth's  surface  and 

x 


THE  WAY  OF  DEATH 291 

carried  it  into  the  many  homes,  this  marked  another  step  in 
the  process  of  disintegration.  Then  it  was  consumed  as  fuel 
and  converted  into  heat  and  ashes.  This  marked  yet  another 
step  in  the  process  of  dissolution.  When  these  ashes  were 
scattered  and  lost  and  the  heat  was  diffused  into  space  the 
operation  of  Nature's  Destructive  Principle  was  completed. 

The  splendid  oak,  the  monarch  of  the  forest,  typifying 
vitality,  strength,  organization  and  constructive  energy,  under 
the  operation  of  Nature's  Destructive  Principle  has  been  both 
physically  and  spiritually  disorganized,  disintegrated,  scat- 
tered and  resolved  back  into  Nature's  elements  from  which  it 
came.  Its  individuality  on  both  planes  of  life  as  an  organic 
entity  is  destroyed.  And  thus  is  acomplished  its  complete 
individual  extinction. 

But  what  is  the  primary  cause  of  this  wonderful  change? 
Only  this.  The  organizing,  integrating,  developing  and  re- 
newing processes  of  vegetation  depend  upon  the  active  prin- 
ciple of  the  tElectro-Magnetic  and  Vito-Chemical  Life  Ele- 
ments of  Nature.  The  supply  of  these  Life  Elements  has  been 
cut  off  and  the  process  of  growth  has  ceased.  At  the  point 
where  growth  ceases  decay  inevitably  begins.  The  ultimate 
end  of  this  destructive  principle  in  operation  is  complete  indi- 
vidual extinction. 

Let  us  now  go  one  round  higher  in  the  scale  of  organic 
Nature  to  the  plane  of  the  animal  kingdom. 

Under  Nature's  Constructive  Principle — operating  through 
the  two  lower  Life  Elements  of  the  mineral  and  vegetable 
kingdoms  and  the  Spiritual  Life  Element  of  animal  Nature — 
the  single,  nucleated  life  cell  germinates,  grows,  multiplies  and 
develops  into  aggregates  which  form  themselves  into  defi- 
nite organs.  These  organs  constitute  the  structural  basis 
upon  which  the  physical  and  spiritual  bodies  of  the  infant 
lion  are  integrated. 

The  baby  lion  is  born.  It  grows  and  develops  from  in- 
fancy to  full  maturity.  It  becomes  another  veritable  "Mon- 
arch of  the  Forest."  At  the  zenith  of  its  individual  strength 
and  animal  development  the  hunter's  bullet  pierces  its  heart. 
The  physical  lion  lies  prostrate  in  death. 


292      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

The  process  of  physical  dissolution  immediately  begins. 
The  flesh  is  torn  from  the  bones  and  devoured  by  other  ani- 
mals. Its  constituent  physical  parts  enter  into  the  texture  and 
organic  structures  of  many  animals  and  plants.  The  bones 
bleach  in  the  sun.  They  crumble  and  disintegrate.  Their 
individual  particles  are  scattered  over  the  earth  and  enter  into 
other  chemical,  vegetable  and  animal  combinations  and  are 
lost.  The  work  of  physical  dissolution  and  disintegration  is 
complete. 

Under  the  operation  of  Nature's  Destructive  Principle 
the  physical  organism  of  the  mighty  monarch  is  disorganized, 
disintegrated,  scattered  and  resolved  back  into  Nature's  ele- 
ments from  which  it  came. 

Its  individuality  as  an  organic  physical  entity  is  destroyed, 
and  thus  is  accomplished  its  individual  extinction  upon  the 
physical  plane  of  its  being. 

But  what  of  the  finer  spiritual  organism  ?  Is  this  also  dis- 
integrated and  dissolved?  No,  not  yet. 

When  the  hunter's  bullet  pierced  the  lion's  -  heart  the 
chain  of  vital  relationship,  which  bound  the  two  organisms 
together  in  one  individual  animate  entity,  was  broken.  The 
two  bodies  immediately  separated.  Had  he  possessed  the  in- 
dependent power  of  spiritual  vision,  the  hunter  might  have 
witnessed  with  perfect  distinctness  and  absolute  certainty  the 
separation  of  the  two  bodies  at  the  moment  of  physical  death. 

With  his  physical  eyes  he  would  have  seen  the  dead  phy- 
sical form  and  with  his  spiritual  vison  he  would  have  seen 
the  live  and  active  spiritual  body — a  perfect  duplicate  of  the 
physical,  except  that  the  one  is  dead  and  the  other  is  alive. 

These  observations  would  have  put  him  in  possession  of 
the  facts  of  Nature  stated  in  a  previous  chapter,  viz. : 

I.  That  the  physical  death  of  an  animal  does  not  imme- 
diately result  in  the  total  and  complete  individual  extinction 
of  the  entire  animal  entity. 

2..  That  the  animating  principle  accompanies  (or  is  ac- 
companied by)  the  spiritual  body  at  the  point  of  physical 
death. 

3.     That  the  spiritual  animal  appears  to  possess  all  the 


THE  WAY  OF  DEATH 293 

natural  faculties  and  intelligent  capacities  and  powers  which 
were  manifest  in  the  physical  animal. 

If  the  intelligent  student  should,  perchance,  be  interested 
in  pursuing  the  subject  further,  he  would  most  naturally  de- 
sire to  know  something  concerning  the  destiny  of  the  spirit- 
ual animal;  whether  it  persists  upon  the  spiritual  plane 
of  animal  life  forever;  if  not,  how  long  it  so  con- 
tinues to  persist ;  whether  it  retains  the  same  form  indefinitely, 
or  undergoes  a  metamorphosis  after  a  time  and  takes  on  a 
different  form ;  whether  it  develops  and  improves  as  an  ani- 
mal entity  until  it  passes  to  higher  spiritual  planes ;  or,  whether 
it  disappears  entirely  from  the  spiritual  plane  of  animal  life 
and  reappears  upon  the  physical ;  if  so,  whether  it  appears  as 
an  animal  of  the  same  species,  or  transmigrates  to  a  different 
species;  if  not,  then,  whether  its  disappearance  is  in  reality 
its  second  death  and  means  individual  extinction. 

All  these  suggestions  and  many  more  would  naturally  be 
of  interest  to  the  student  of  science.  In  other  words,  he  would 
find  himself  in  the  midst  of  a  problem  of  Nature  which  has 
defied  the  best  intelligence  of  the  ages,  and  still  occupies  a 
position  of  absorbing  interest  in  the  field  of  Natural  Science. 

Many  of  these  questions,  however,  have  been  settled  with 
definite,  scientific  certainty. 

For  instance:  It  is  found  that  the  animal  does  not  per- 
sist upon  the  spiritual  plane  of  animal  life  forever.  It  does 
not  take  on  a  different  form  during  the  period  of  its  persis- 
tence on  the  spiritual  plane.  The  period  of  its  persistence 
upon  the  spiritual  plane  varies  in  time  somewhat  as  it  does 
upon  the  physical  plane.  It  does  not  pass  upward  to  higher 
planes  of  spiritual  life,  etc. 

It  is  found  that  in  the  course  of  the  years  the  animal  upon 
the  spiritual  plane  of  animal  life  undergoes  what  appears  to 
be  a  second  death.  The  animating  principle  is  withdrawn 
from  the  spiritual  organism — or  is  dissipated  with  it — and  the 
spiritual  body  is  dissolved,  disintegrated,  and  resolved  back 
into  Nature's  elements  in  a  manner  somewhat  analogous  to  the 
dissolution  and  disappearance  of  the  physical  body  at  physi- 
cal death. 


294      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

The  lion,  therefore,  in  the  course  of  the  years,  reaches  this 
second  climax  which  we  may,  without  confusion  or  misunder- 
standing, designate  as  "spiritual  death,"  or  the  "Second 
Death." 

But  what  is  the  exact  scientific  meaning  of  this  spiritual 
or  second  death? 

Leaving  this  great  problem  unsolved  for  the  present,  let 
us  now  proceed  to  the  next  higher  round  of  individual  life 
and  in  the  kingdom  of  man  see  how  far  we  may  be  able  to 
trace  the  same  principle  of  Nature  in  operation. 

Under  Nature's  Constructive  Principle,  operating  through 
the  three  lower  Life  Elements  of  Nature  and  the  Soul  Element 
of  human  life,  the  human  infant  is  born  upon  the  physical 
plane  of  its  being.  As  a  physical  organism  it  grows  and  de- 
velops from  infancy  through  childhood  and  youth  to  full 
maturity. 

Up  to  this  time  the  constructive  forces  of  its  physical  being 
have  been  in  the  ascendency.  But  there  comes  a  time  when 
physical  maturity  is  fully  reached.  At  this  point  the  construc- 
tive forces  of  the  physical  body  begin  to  wane  and  the  des- 
tructive forces  begin  to  augment.  This  transition  continues 
until  the  meridian  line  of  physical  life  is  reached.  From  this 
point  we  mark  the  declining  years  of  old  age.  When  Nature's 
Destructive  Principle  reaches  its  climax  upon  the  physical 
plane  man's  physical  death  ensues. 

At  this  point,  as  in  the  case  of  the  animal,  the  physical 
body  and  the  spiritual  body  separate.  One  who  possesses 
the  power  of  independent,  spiritual  vision  is  able  to  observe 
this  transition  with  perfect  distinctness  and  absolute  scientific 
certainty. 

In  this  observation  he  is  able  to  demonstrate  those  addi- 
tional facts  of  Natural  Science  previously  stated,  viz. : 

I.  That  this  separation  of  the  two  material  bodies  of  man 
at  the  point  of  physical  death  corresponds,  to  all  appearances, 
with  the  same  process  in  the  animal. 

2..  That  the  vital  or  animating  principle  of  the  double 
organic  entity  either  follows  (or  is  followed  by)  the  spirit- 


THE  WAY  OF  DEATH 295 

ual  body  only,  and  that  in  this  respect  it  corresponds,  to  all 
appearances,  with  the  same  process  in  the  animal. 

3.  That  the  spiritual  man  appears  to  possess  all  the  nat- 
ural faculties  and  intelligent  capacities  and  powers  with  which 
he  was  invested  at,  or  prior  to,  the  time  of  physical  death. 

The  establishment  of  these  facts  brings  us  at  once  to  the 
most  difficult  and  at  the  same  time  the  most  absorbing  problem 
of  Natural  Science,  the  stupendous  problem  of  man's  ultimate 
individual  destiny,  the  destiny  of  the  soul. 

Once  in  its  presence  we  are  no  longer  so  deeply  absorbed 
with  the  lesser  problems  of  physical  evolution,  except  in  so 
far  as  they  may  throw  light  upon  the  greater  question. 
Whether  man  upon  the  physical  plane  is  but  an  ape  evolved, 
or  is  a  distinct  creation  without  a  physical  progenitor,  is  a 
question  which  loses  much  of  its  interest  in  the  presence  of 
the  greater  problem  of  his  ultimate  individual  destiny. 

Man,  to  sustain  himself  upon  the  higher  rounds  of  spir- 
itual life,  must  find  occupation  in  more  beneficent  pursuits 
than  that  of  reveling  in  the  memories  of  the  past.  To  him 
the  past  becomes  but  a  storehouse  of  experiences  to  which  he 
returns  only  when  in  need  of  the  materials  it  can  furnish  him 
for  the  solution  of  the  more  vital  problems  of  the  present  and 
the  future. 

It  is  true  that  the  most  advanced  student  of  Natural 
•Science  seeks  knowledge  upon  all  the  planes  of  individual  life 
and  being.  He  finds  it  all  along  the  way,  from  the  lowest 
round  of  physical  Nature  to  the  highest  plane  of  spiritual  life 
to  which  he  has  attained.  But  his  desire  for  the  accumulation 
of  knowledge  is  inspired  by  his  appreciation  of  the  possibil- 
ities which  lie  above  and  yet  beyond. 

If  he  delves  into  the  problems  of  physical  life  and  physi- 
cal evolution  it  is  only  in  order  that  he  may,  perchance,  find 
there  a  key  with  which  to  unlock  the  door  to  a  more  exalted 
knowledge  of  spiritual  life  and  spiritual  unfoldment.  With 
this  key  at  his  command  he  may  then  be  permitted  to  open 
the  door  of  the  higher  life  to  others  who  are  seeking  for  the 
light  of  truth. 


296      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

It  is  in  this  spirit  that  Natural  Science  has  delved  into  the 
mysteries  of  Nature  in  search  of  the  magical  key  of  knowledge 
and  power  with  which  to  unlock  the  secrets  of  ultimate  indi- 
vidual being. 

From  this  scientific  point  of  view  the  course  of  individual 
life  upon  the  spiritual  planes  has  been  observed,  its  various 
phases  noted  and  a  considerable  amount  of  scientific  data  ac- 
cumulated and  classified.  A  few  of  the  most  conspicuous  and 
significant  "facts  demonstrated"  have  been  carefully  stated  in 
a  previous  chapter. 

The  present  purpose  is  to  amplify  to  some  extent  such  of 
those  facts  as  will  serve  to  bring  out  more  clearly  man's  rela- 
tive position  as  an  individualized  intelligence  upon  the  spir- 
itual planes  of  life.  With  this  in  view  it  is  especially  impor- 
tant to  note  what  appears  to  be  a  well  defined  principle  of  dif- 
ferentiation which  gives  to  man  upon  the  spiritual  planes,  as 
well  as  upon  the  physical,  a  status  which  is  unique  and  at  the 
same  time  deeply  interesting  and  seemingly  of  scientific  sig- 
nificance and  value. 

FIRST. 

It  is  observed  that  the  dissolution  of  a  physical  mineral 
carries  with  it  almost  instantly  the  dissolution  of  its  ethereal 
or  spiritual  duplicate.  This  almost  simultaneous  or  synchro- 
nal  dissolution  of  the  two  bodies  appears  to  be  significant  from 
a  scientific  point  of  view,  in  that  it  would  appear  to  establish 
with  a  reasonable  degree  of  scientific  certainty  the  following 
deductions. 

I.  That  the  constructive  process  or  growth  of  the  spirit- 
ual duplicate  of  a  mineral  ceases  when  its  physical  growth  or 
integrating  process  is  arrested,  and  vice  versa. 

2..  That  the  relation  between  the  physical  and  spiritual 
bodies  of  the  mineral  is  of  such  a  character  as  to  establish 
what  appears  to  be  their  absolute  interdependence. 

3.  The  integrating  process  in  this  case,  therefore,  appears 
to  be  but  a  single  process  manifesting  upon  duplicate  planes 
of  mineral  existence. 


THE  WAY  OF  DEATH 297 

SECOND. 

In  the  vegetable  kingdom  just  one  important  variation  from 
the  mineral  process  appears,  namely:  The  dissolution  of  the 
two  bodies  of  a  plant  is  by  no  means  so  nearly  simultaneous 
or  synchronal  as  in  the  case  of  the  mineral.  The  length  of 
time  intervening  is  very  much  increased.  In  other  words,  the 
spiritual  organism  of  a  plant  appears  to  possess  the  power  of 
individual  persistence  after  physical  dissolution  to  such  an 
extent  as  to  plainly  suggest  a  possible  design  of  Nature,  which 
design  would  seem  to  become  more  clearly  defined  as  we  as- 
cend to  higher  planes  of  organic  life. 

But  a  study  of  vegetation  on  both  its  planes  of  life  appears 
to  establish  with  a  reasonable  degree  of  certainty  the  follow- 
ing deductions,  viz. : 

i.  That  the  spiritual  organism  of  a  tree  or  plant  ceases 
to  grow  or  develop  whenever  physical  development  is  arrested. 
That  is  to  say,  its  spiritual  dissolution  actually  begins  at  the 
point  of  physical  death  just  as  appears  to  be  the  case  with  the 
mineral. 

2..  In  so  far  as  the  principle  of  growth  or  accretion  is  con- 
cerned there  seems  to  be  the  same  general  interdependence  of 
the  two  bodies  in  the  vegetable  kingdom  as  in  the  mineral. 

3.  Here  also  integration  appears  to  be  but  a  single  process 
manifesting  upon  two  planes  of  material  existence. 

THIRD. 

In  the  animal  kingdom  some  important  variations  or  modi- 
fications appear,  among  which  the  following  are  most  impor- 
tant: 

1.  The  length  of  time  a  spiritual  animal  persists  as  an  in- 
dividualized entity,  after  its  physical  dissolution,  is  many  times 
greater  than  that  during  which  the  spiritual  vegetable  persists 
after  its  forced  physical  dissolution. 

2.  The  spiritual  growth  and  development  of  an  animal 
does  not  necessarily  stop  at  the  point  of  physical  death.     At 
the  death   of  infant   animals,   spiritual   growth,   in   most  in- 
stances, appears  to  cease  immediately  and  spiritual  death  fol- 
lows within  a  comparatively  short  time. 


298      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

On  the  other  hand,  if  the  period  of  animal  infancy  is  past 
before  physical  death  occurs  and  the  process  of  physical  devel- 
opment and  growth  is  well  under  way,  the  spiritual  organism 
continues  to  develop  until  it  reaches  what  appears  to  be  full 
maturity  upon  the  spiritual  plane. 

3.  In   this    latter   case   spiritual    disintegration   does   not 
begin  at  the  point  of  physical  death,  nor  until  long  thereafter. 
In  this  respect  the  animal  differs  very  radically  and  essentially 
from  the  mineral  and  the  vegetable. 

4.  Here  also  the  principle  of  growth  does  not  appear  to 
bind  the  two  organisms  together  in  an  indissoluble  bond  of 
interdependence.     Indeed,  the  dependence   appears  to  be  al- 
most entirely  on  the  part  of  the  physical. 

5.  Another   important    distinction   or   variation    is    here 
noted,    in    that    the    integrating    process    appears    to    be    a 
double  process  instead  of  a  single  one,  as  in  the  two  lower 
kingdoms  of  Nature.     Or,  if  it  be  not  a  double  process,  then 
at  the  point  of  physical  death  that  which  produces  growth  is 
detached  from  the  physical  and  unites  with  the  spiritual. 

FOURTH. 

In  the  kingdom  of  man  these  variations  or  modifications 
appear  with  even  greater  distinctness.  They  stand  out  in 
such  vivid  contrast  with  the  conditions  which  obtain  in  the 
lower  kingdoms  of  Nature  that  the  mind  almost  involun- 
tarily forecasts  a  possible  design  which  the  great  Universal 
Intelligence  appears  to  be  working  out. 

The  variations  and  modifications  here  to  be  specially  noted 
are: 

I.  However  young  the  human  infant  may  be  when  its 
physical  death  occurs,  if  it  has  once  co-ordinated  with  the 
Soul  Element  of  Nature  and  "breathed  the  breath  of  life," 
its  status  as  an  individualized  intelligence  is  determined. 

In  this  case  its  physical  death  does  not  appear  in  the  least 
degree  to  suspend,  retard  or  check  the  growth  and  develop- 
ment of  the  spiritual  organism.  The  human  infant  upon 
the  spiritual  planes  passes  through  all  the  phases  and  stages 
of  spiritual  growth  and  organic  development  to  its  full  spir- 


THE  WAY  OF  DEATH 299 

itual  maturity,  in  a  manner  closely  analogous  to  its  growth 
and  development  upon  the  physical  plane. 

2..  Man  appears  to  be  inherently  invested  with  the  power 
and  ability  to  perpetuate  his  own  organic  individual  existence 
upon  the  spiritual  planes  of  life  indefinitely.  This  is  accom- 
plished by  his  personal  knowledge  and  right  application  of 
the  laws,  principles,  forces,  activities  and  processes  of  Nature 
which  govern  the  conservation  of  his  spiritual  life  and  ener- 
gies. 

3.  By   the   right  application  of  his  knowledge  and  the 
right  use  of  all  his  acquired  powers  he  comes  into  full  co- 
operation   with    Nature's    Constructive    Principle.      He    thus 
adds  to  the  great  upward  evolutionary  impulse  of  Universal 
Intelligence  the  impetus  of  his  own  individual  powers.     He 
becomes   an  active,  independent,  self-conscious,  rational  and 
voluntary  factor  and  power  in  his  own  individual  evolution. 
By  and  through  this  voluntary  and  rational  co-operation  with 
the  great  Universal  Intelligence  he  severs  the  last  destructive 
tie  of  his  individual  being  and  rides  upon    the    current    of 
Nature's  constructive,  sustaining,  renewing  and  living  forces 
onward  and  upward  through  the  realms  of  spiritual  light  and 
life  until  he  passes  beyond  the  limit  of  all  our  present  knowl- 
edge. 

4.  Another  significant  variation  or  modification  is  found 
in  the  fact  that,  although  man  is  unquestionably 'invested  with 
the  power  and  ability  to  perpetuate  his  individual  existence 
upon  the  spiritual  planes  of  life  indefinitely,  yet  he  does  not 
always  elect  to  do  so. 

This  suggestion  brings  us  to  what  appears  to  be  another 
interesting  fact  of  spiritual  Nature,  namely,  that  man  is  in- 
vested with  the  power  of  individual  choice  in  the  spiritual 
life  as  well  as  in  the  physical.  This,  in  fact,  appears  to  be 
one  of  the  inalienable  rights  of  every  responsible  individual 
intelligence. 

It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  in  this  physical  life  man  may 
defy  every  principle  of  Nature  which  makes  for  his  own  up- 
building. In  other  words,  he  may  defy  Nature's  Constructive 
Principle.  This  is  true  as  to  every  phase  of  his  being.  He 


300      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

may  destroy  his  own  physical  life  by  any  one  of  the  numerous 
methods  employed  by  the  suicide.  Or,  he  may  wreck  his 
physical  health  and  strength  by  overindulgence  of  any  or  all 
of  his  physical  appetites,  passions,  emotions  or  desires,  and 
thus  reach  the  same  physical  end  through  a  slower  and  more 
gradual  process. 

He  may  defy  every  moral  principle  of  equity,  justice  and 
right,  and  in  a  similar  manner  accomplish  his  moral  suicide 
or  death. 

In  the  same  absolute  and  definite  manner  the  power  of 
individual  choice  obtains  upon  the  spiritual  planes  of  life.  By 
the  wrong  application  of  his  knowledge  and  the  abuse  of  his 
acquired  powers  man  in  that  life,  as  in  this,  can,  if  he  so  elect, 
come  into  full  co-operation  with  Nature's  Destructive  Prin- 
ciple. In  this  event  he  becomes  an  active,  independent,  self- 
conscious,  rational  and  voluntary  factor  and  power  in  his 
own  devolution  and  spiritual  retrogression. 

By  and  through  this  voluntary  and  intentional  violation 
of  the  constructive,  sustaining,  renewing  and  living  principle 
of  individual  continuity,  he  may,  of  his  own  choice,  ride  upon 
the  strong  current  of  Nature's  Destructive  Forces  backward 
and  downward  into  the  realm  of  spiritual  darkness,  to  disinte- 
gration, dissolution,  individual  extinction  and  a  final  resolu- 
tion back  into  Nature's  elements  to  a  point  beyond  the  limits 
of  all  our  present  knowledge. 

And  THIS  IS  THE  WAY  OF  DEATH. 


IN  PERSPECTIVE  301 


CHAPTER   III. 


IN  PERSPECTIVE. 

A  clear  and  comprehensive  understanding  of  Nature's  De- 
structive Principle  is  of  such  transcendent  importance  that  a 
brief  perspective  view  of  the  preceding  chapter  may  be  of 
value.  The  specific  purpose  of  such  a  view  is  to  fix  indelibly 
in  the  mind  an  accurate  conception  of  one  fundamental  de- 
duction of  Natural  Science  which  gives  to  man  a  unique  and 
distinctive  place  in  Nature. 

(I.)     LIFE  ELEMENTS. 

In  order  that  all  phases  of  the  subject  may  be  observed 
in  true  perspective  it  is  necessary  to  view  it  from  as  many 
different  points  of  vision  as  possible.  With  this  suggestion 
in  mind,  let  us  first  proceed  to  the  plane  of  the  mineral  king- 
dom and  from  that  level  look  upward  over  the  two  interme- 
diate kingdoms  of  the  vegetable  and  the  animal  to  the  plane 
of  human  life.  From  this  point  of  vision  let  us  study  the 
evolutionary  ascent  from  the  lowest  and  simplest  form  of 
life  to  the  highest  and  most  complex,  as  it  is  indicated  in  the 
Life  Elements  of  Nature  themselves.  Viewed  from  this  point 
we  are  able  to  note  the  following  significant  facts  of  Natural 
.  Science : 

1.  In  the  mineral  kingdom  the  constructive  or  integrat- 
ing principle  of  Nature  operates  through  the  Electro-Magnetic 
Life  Element  alone.    Upon  this  single  Life  Element,  therefore, 
the  integration  and  growth  of  minerals  depend. 

2.  In  the  vegetable  kingdom  the  constructive,  integrating 
and  organic   principle  operates   through   two  Life   Elements 
instead  of  one.    That  is  to  say,  it  operates  through  the  Electro- 
Magnetic  and  the  Vito-Chemical  Life  Elements. 

Of  these  two  Life  Elements  the  Vito-Chemical  is  the  dom- 
inant one  in  the  vegetable  organic  process.  It  controls  that 
higher  function  of  Nature  known  to  science  as  the  organic 
principle  or  process  in  vegetation,  as  this  process  is  distin- 
guished from  that  of  mineral  integration. 


302      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

3.  In  the  animal  kingdom  there  is  yet  a  higher,  third 
Life  Element  through  which  the  constructive  principle  oper- 
ates.    This  third  Life  Element  is  the  spiritual  Life  Element 
of  Nature.     It  is  the  dominant  factor  in  the  organic  process 
of  animal  Nature.     It  is  that  element  which  lifts  the  animal 
to  a  plane  above  the  vegetable  and  gives  to  it  those  added 
characteristics  which   so  clearly  manifest  themselves   in  the 
faculty  or  capacity  of  consciousness  and  the  power  of  volun- 
tary action. 

4.  In  the  kingdom  of  man  the  fourth  Life  Element  of 
Nature — the  Soul  Element — is  the  principal  factor  in  the  con- 
structive process.    Here  we  have  the  constructive  principle  of 
Nature  operating  through   four  Life   Elements   in  harmony 
instead  of  through  one  alone.     Of  these  four  the  Soul  Ele- 
ment is  the  dominant  one  in  the  human  organism  and  gives 
to  man  those  added  characteristics  of  self-consciousness,  in- 
dependent choice,  reason  and  the  power  of  independent,  self- 
conscious  and  rational  will  or  volition. 

From  the  foregoing  it  will  be  observed  that  in  the  mineral 
kingdom  Nature's  Destructive  Principle,  in  order  to  prevail, 
must  overcome  the  integrating  power  of  but  a  single  Life 
Element.  In  the  vegetable  kingdom  it  has  to  contend  against 
the  combined  integrating  and  organizing  forces  of  two  Life 
Elements  of  Nature.  In  the  animal  kingdom  it  must  oppose 
the  combined  integrating,  organizing  and  sustaining  forces 
of  three,  and  in  the  human  it  is  pitted  against  the  combined 
forces  and  energies  of  all  four  of  Nature's  Life  Elements 
working  in  harmony. 

In  this  view  of  the  subject  it  is  not  difficult  for  the  mind 
to  anticipate  what  would  appear  to  be  a  perfectly  natural  re- 
sult, namely,  that  the  higher  we  proceed  in  the  evolutionary 
process  and  the  further  we  get  away  from  the  plane  of  the 
mineral  kingdom  the  more  powerful  become  the  forces  of 
Nature  which  we  recognize  as  constructive,  and  the  more 
difficult  becomes  the  task  set  for  Nature's  Destructive  Prin- 
ciple. 

From  this  point  of  vision,  therefore,  the  mind  is  able  to 
note  what  appears  to  be  a  far-reaching  design  of  Universal 


IN  PERSPECTIVE 303 

Intelligence,  namely,  to  ultimately  evolve  an  order  of  being 
which  shall  possess  within  itself  the  power  and  ability  to 
transcend  the  operation  of  Nature's  Destructive  Principle. 

(II.)     GROWTH. 

In  order  to  obtain  a  more  perfect  view  of  the  subject,  let 
us  now  return  to  the  plane  of  the  mineral  kingdom,  and,  look- 
ing upward  from  another  point  of  vision,  study  the  evolu- 
tionary ascent  of  Nature  as  it  is  indicated  in  the  principle  of 
growth  or  accretion.  And  in  this  examination  let  us  view 
the  subject  from  both  the  spiritual  and  the  physical  planes  of 
life  at  the  same  time. 

1.  It  will  be  remembered  that  in  the  mineral  kingdom 
growth  of  the  spiritual  body  ceases  when  the  growth  of  the 
physical  is  arrested. 

2.  In  the  vegetable  kingdom  this  appears  to  be  the  case 
also,  but  there  are  some  well  defined  indications  which  sug- 
gest that  this  may  be  only  an  appearance  and  not  a  fact. 

3.  In  the  animal   kingdom  all  uncertainty  is    dispelled. 
Here  it  is  determined  with  absolute  certainty  that,  in  the  case 
of  infant  animals,  growth  of  the  spiritual  body  appears  to 
cease  soon  after  physical  death.     This,  however,  is  not  true 
of  those  animals  which  pass  the  stage  of  infancy  before  phys- 
ical death  occurs.     In  this  latter  case  the  spiritual  body  con- 
tinues to  grow  after  physical  death,  and  in  most  instances — 
more  especially  among  what  we  term  the  higher  animals — 
spiritual  growth  continues  until  the  spiritual  organism  reaches 
what  appears  to  be  spiritual  maturity. 

4.  In  the  kingdom  of  man,  again,  this  evolutionary  phase 
of  life  reaches  its  climax.     Here  it  is  observed  that  however 
young  the  infant  man  may  be,  if  it  has  reached  co-ordination 
with  the  Soul  Element  of  Nature  and  breathed  the  breath 
of  its  higher  life,  the  death  of  the  physical  body  appears  to 
have  no  effect  whatever  upon  the  continued  growth  of  the 
spiritual.     It  proceeds  to  grow  and   develop  without   inter- 
ruption or  lapse  of  any  kind  until  it  reaches  what  appears 
to  be  full  spiritual  maturity. 

Indeed,  in  this  field  of  observation  growth  appears  to  be 


304      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

much  more  exclusively  a  spiritual  process,  with  an  inci- 
dental manifestation  upon  the  physical  plane.  It  is  moved 
primarily  by  a  spiritual  impulse  rather  than  by  a  physical,  as 
indicated  in  the  fact  that  physical  death  does  not  affect  the 
process  of  growth  in  the  spiritual  organism  in  any  way. 

From  this  second  view  point  the  mind  seems  to  see  with 
added  clearness  the  possible  design  of  Universal  Intelligence 
as  it  appears  to  manifest  itself  in  the  wonderful  scheme  of 
evolution.  We  are  able  to  clearly  note  the  unfaltering  march 
of  development  toward  the  consummation  of  what  appears 
to  be  a  fixed  and  steady  purpose,  the  evolvement  of  an  indi- 
dividual  organism  which  shall  be  able  to  transcend  the  lim- 
ited possibilities  of  Nature's  Destructive  Principle. 

(III.)     PSYCHICAL. 

Once  more  let  us  stand  upon  the  level  of  the  mineral  king- 
dom and  from  yet  another  point  of  vision  view  the  subject. 
In  this  observation  let  us  study  the  evolutionary  rise  of  the 
individual  entity  in  its  purely  psychical  aspect. 

i.  It  is  clear  to  the  scientific  observer  that  in  the  mineral 
world  the  constructive  or  integrating  process  is  one  in  which 
the  mineral  entity  itself,  as  such,  has  no  intelligent  or  con- 
scious part.  The  integrating  power  of  the  mineral  world,  to 
every  appearance,  is  automatic  and  involuntary  so  far  as  the 
mineral  itself  is  concerned.  The  mineral,  in  fact,  appears  to 
grow  and  decay,  integrate  and  dissolve,  in  neither  a  conscious 
nor  voluntary  manner,  but  rather  in  obedience  to  the  opera- 
tion of  the  great  law  of  Universal  Intelligence. 

In  the  mineral,  therefore,  we  are  unable  to  discover  any- 
thing which  suggests  to  our  minds  an  individualized  intelli- 
gence. Whatever  manifestations  we  are  able  to  observe  which 
might  suggest  consciousness,  volition  of  intelligence,  appear 
to  reside  in  the  individual,  chemical  particles  of  which  chem- 
ical aggregates  are  composed,  and  not  in  the  aggregate  as  a 
distinct  and  separate  entity  or  individuality. 

For  illustration :  The  energy  or  impulse  which  unites  the 
particles  of  gold  or  silver  into  one  common  mass  manifests 
itself  in  the  individual  particles  of  which  the  mass  is  com- 


IN  PERSPECTIVE 305 

posed,  and  not  in  the  mass  as  a  whole.  For  this  reason  we 
are  able  to  assert  with  seeming  scientific  certainty  that  the 
stone,  or  the  crystal,  or  the  boulder,  or  the  nugget,  or  any 
other  mineral  aggregate,  as  an  individual  entity,  has  neither 
consciousness,  volition,  intuition  nor  intellectuality  in  any  of 
its  individual  manifestations. 

2.  In  the  vegetable  world  we  seem  to  cross  a  distinct 
line  of  differentiation  which  suggests  at  least  a  different  char- 
acter or  grade  of  intelligence.  Here  the  manifestations  of 
intelligence  do  not  appear  so  exclusively  in  the  individual  par- 
ticles of  which  the  various  aggregates  are  composed. 

For  illustration :  The  sunflower  turns  its  face  to  the  sun. 
In  the  morning  it  looks  to  the  east.  During  the  day  it  fol- 
lows the  course  of  the  sun  in  its  flight  across  the  heavens  from 
east  to  west  and  at  night  bows  its  head  to  the  west. 

The  sensitive  plant  shrinks  at  the  touch  of  the  human 
hand  as  if  it  were  conscious  of  possible  danger. 

The  little  "Fly-Trap"  opens  its  cup-like  flower  as  if  to 
await  the  coming  of  the  unsuspecting  insect.  When  the  busy 
bee  comes  and  enters  in  search  of  honey,  or  the  fly  in  search 
of  food  or  drink,  the  little  flower  quickly  closes  its  door-like 
lid  or  mouth,  and  the  insect  is  a  hopeless  and  helpless  pris- 
oner. Here  it  is  securely  held  until  death  comes  to  its  relief. 
Then  its  decaying  body  is  absorbed  and  assimilated  by  the 
plant  as  food. 

The  wild  morning-glory  vine  of  rapid  growth  reaches  the 
limit  of  its  support  and  gropes  about  in  search  of  something 
new  upon  which  to  support  itself.  Place  another  support 
within  a  few  inches  of  the  end  of  the  vine,  but  slightly  to 
one  side,  and  then  watch  the  result.  Within  a  few  hours  you 
will  observe  that  the  vine  is  reaching  out  to  the  new  support. 
Then  shift  the  object  to  the  other  side  and  in  a  short  time 
you  will  see  that  the  vine  has  turned  about  and  is  reaching 
for  it  in  the  opposite  direction. 

In  all  these  instances,  and  many  more  which  might  be 
mentioned  in  connection  with  the  vegetable  world,  there  ap- 
pears to  be  a  very  low  grade  of  instinct  or  semi-consciousness 
as  well  as  volition,  which  resides  in  the  plant  itself  as  an  indi- 


306       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

vidual  entity,  and  not  alone  in  the  particles  of  which  it  is  com- 
posed. 

It  is  true  that  science  is  not  able  to  assert  with  certainty 
that  any  plant  actually  possesses  individual  consciousness,  in- 
stinct or  volition,  but  it  is  compelled  to  note  the  fact  that  in 
the  evolution  of  vegetable  life  Universal  Intelligence  has 
taken  a  long  step  in  the  direction  of  an  individualized  intelli- 
gence and  seems  to  be  anticipating  that  ultimate  result. 

3.  In  the  animal  kingdom  we  cross  another  distinct  line 
of  differentiation  in  psychic  conditions  and  development.  Con- 
sciousness is  here  well  defined  as  a  faculty  or  capacity  of  the 
individual  animal.     Volition  is  also  a  well  defined  power  of 
the  individual  entity,  and  not  wholly  an  automatic  result  of 
general   laws   operating   through   the   individual   particles   of 
which  the  individual  animal  is  composed. 

Here  we  also  note  for  the  first  time  that  the  individual  en- 
tity possesses  the  power  of  independent  locomotion.  It  is 
also  invested  with  appetites,  passions,  emotions  and  desires, 
and,  excepting  in  so  far  as  the  vital  processes  are  concerned, 
the  individual  animal  has  full  control  of  its  muscular  or- 
ganism. 

Here  also  we  observe  for  the  first  time  in  the  upward 
march  of  evolution  what  we  have  defined  as  animal  instinct. 
So  closely  does  it  seem  to  approach  the  limit  of  the  purely 
intellectual  that  wise  men  of  all  the  ages  have  differed  in 
their  judgments  concerning  the  ability  of  the  animal  to  reason 
from  cause  to  effect.  Certain  it  is  that  if  the  animal  does 
not  rise  to  the  level  of  the  purely  intellectual,  its  individuality 
most  clearly  and  unmistakably  foreshadows  -such  a  possible 
development  in  the  yet  higher  kingdom  of  man. 

4.  In  the  human  kingdom  we  find  the  full  realization  of 
all  that  is  foreshadowed  in  the  lower  kingdoms  of  Nature. 
Man  possesses  all  that  the  animal  does  and  something  more. 
Added  to  the  consciousness  of  the  animal  is  the  self-conscious- 
ness which  is  distinctively  a  human  faculty  or  capacity.    Ani- 
mal instinct  assumes  the  higher  form  of  intuition  in  man.  The 
volition  which   in  the  animal   is  apparently  but  a   reflex  of 


IN  PERSPECTIVE 307 

animal  appetites,  passions,  emotions  and  desires,  in  man  be- 
comes an  independent,  self-conscious  and  rational  power. 

In  other  words,  in  his  intellectual  activities,  processes,  ca- 
pacities and  powers  man  rises  to  a  plane  of  life  and  being 
unknown  to  and  untouched  by  all  the  rounds  of  individual  life 
which  lie  below  the  level  of  the  Soul  Element  of  Nature. 

(IV.)     PERSISTENCE. 

One  more  view  of  the  subject  from  the  plane  of  the  min- 
eral will  enable  us  to  complete  the  picture.  This  time  our 
task  is  to  note  the  upward  movement  of  evolution  as  it  is  in- 
dicated in  the  persistence  of  the  spiritual  body  beyond  the 
point  of  physical  death. 

1.  It  will  be  remembered  that  in  the  mineral  kingdom 
the  dissolution  of  the  two  bodies  is  almost  simultaneous  or 
synchronal.     The  spiritual  body  persists  but  a  comparatively 
brief  period  of  time  after  physical  dissolution,  even  where  the 
process  of  physical  dissolution  is  forced  and  instantaneous. 

2.  In  the  vegetable  kingdom  the  length  of  time  the  spir- 
itual body  persists  after  physical  death  or  dissolution  is  many 
times  longer  than  in  the  case  of  minerals. 

3.  In  the  animal  kingdom  this  progression  goes  on. 

4.  And  in  the  kingdom  of  man  we  again  reach  a  natural 
and  sequential  climax.      Here  we    find    that    Nature,  or  the 
great  Universal  Intelligence,  appears  to  have  shifted  the  bur- 
den of  responsibility  to  man  himself.     As  a  result  man  pos- 
sesses the  power  within  himself  to  determine  or  to  extend  the 
period  of  persistence  of  the  spiritual  body  beyond  the  point 
of  physical  death  indefinitely.     In  a  much  more  exact  and 
literal   sense,   therefore,    than    is   generally   understood,   man 
appears  to  be  "the  arbiter  of  his  own  destiny." 

As  clearly  and  as  explicitly  as  may  be  expressed  in  the 
language  of  Nature's  evolutionary  processes,  man  appears  to 
hold  the  key  of  individual  immortality  in  his  own  hands.  He 
may,  if  he  so  choose,  ally  himself  with  Nature's  Constructive 
Principle  in  all  its  majesty,  power  and  glory,  and  in  so  doing 
seemingly  defy  the  powers  of  darkness,  death  and  destruction 
forever. 


308      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

In  this  he  chooses  THE  WAY  OF  LIFE. 

On  the  other  hand,  he  may  elect  to  co-operate  with  Na- 
ture's Destructive  Principle,  if  he  so  desires.  If  so,  and  he 
persist  in  this  election,  his  inevitable  destiny,  so  far  as  known 
to  science,  is  what  we  have  designated  as  "Spiritual  Death," 
or  "The  Second  Death." 

The  exact  scientific  significance  or  meaning  of  this  spir- 
itual or  second  death  is  not  yet  known  with  absolute  certainty. 
But  it  is  known  that  whosoever  chooses  this  road  travels 

THE  WAY  OF  DEATH. 

A  brief  summary  which  presents  the  subject  in  its  full 
and  complete  perspective  is  as  follows: 

MINERAL. 

1.  One  Life  Element. 

2.  Spiritual  growth  ceases  at  physical  death. 

3.  Spiritual  and  physical  death  practically  synchronal. 

4.  Without  individual  consciousness,  instinct  or  volition. 

5.  Death  of  both  bodies  ultimately  inevitable  to  all  ap- 
pearances. 

VEGETABLE. 

1.  Two  Life  Elements. 

2.  Spiritual  growth  appears  to  cease  at  physical  death, 
but  there  are  some  indications  to  the  contrary. 

3.  Spiritual  and  physical  death  clearly  not  synchronal. 

4.  Some  indications  or  shadowings    of    individual    con- 
sciousness, instinct  and  volition. 

5.  Death,  both  physical  and   spiritual,   ultimately  inevi- 
table to  all  appearances. 

ANIMAL. 

1.  .  Three  Life  Elements. 

2.  Spiritual  growth  continues  after  physical  death. 

3.  Spiritual  life  continues  long  after  physical  dissolution. 

4.  Individual    consciousness,   instinct,   volition,   appetites, 
passions,   emotions  and   desires,  with   strong  suggestions  or 
shadowings  of  developing  intellectual  activities,  faculties,  ca- 
pacities and  powers. 


IN  PERSPECTIVE 309 

5.     Death,  both  physical  and  spiritual,  ultimately  inevitable 
to  all  appearances. 

MAN. 

1.  Four  Life  Elements. 

2.  Spiritual  growth  not  interrupted  nor  in  any  manner 
retarded  or  interfered  with"  by  physical  death. 

3.  Persistence  of  spiritual  life  after  physical  death  under 
the  control  and  within  the  power  of  the  individual  and  de- 
pendent on  his  individual  choice. 

4.  Individual  self-consciousness,  intuition,  appetites,  pas- 
sions, emotions  and  desires;  independent,  self-conscious  and 
rational  volition,  and  all  intellectual  faculties,  capacities  and 
powers  fully  defined. 

5.  Spiritual  death  not  necessarily  inevitable,  but   under 
control  of  the  individual.     Individual  Immortality  a  possibil- 
ity to  all  appearances, 


310       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 
CHAPTER  IV. 

INDIVIDUAL  IMMORTALITY. 

What  is  Immortality? 

The  answer  to  this  important  question  must  depend  en- 
tirely upon  the  view  point  from  which  we  examine  the  subject. 

For  illustration,  the  lexicographer  tells  us  with  every  evi- 
dence of  assurance  that  immortality  is: 

1.  "Exemption  from  death  and  annihilation." 

2.  "Unending  existence." 

3.  "Life  eternal." 

The  metaphysician  and  the  theologian  generally  accept 
these  as  consistent  and  satisfactory  definitions  of  the  word, 
and  we  are  not  disposed  to  find  fault  with  them  for  the  reason 
that  they  are  looking  at  the  subject  from  a  particular  stand- 
point. 

But  the  scientist  who  is  compelled  to  view  the  subject 
from  the  standpoint  of  knowledge  alone,  says  that  so  far  as 
we  know  there  is  no  such  thing  as  "Unending  existence"  or 
"Life  eternal."  Our  actual  knowledge  is  limited  to  matters 
which  lie  within  the  range  of  our  own  personal  experiences. 
These  matters,  it  will  no  doubt  be  admitted,  all  lie  a  long 
way  this  side  of  eternity,  or  never-ending  time,  if,  indeed, 
there  be  such  a  time,  place,  condition  or  state  of  being. 

Therefore,  from  the  standpoint  of  science  there  may  or 
may  not  be  immortality  in  the  sense  expressed  by  the  lexi- 
cographer and  the  theologian.  No  one,  so  far  as  men  of 
science  know,  has,  up  to  this  time,  lived  out  an  "eternity"  or 
an  "unending  existence,"  and  therefore,  so  far  as  we  know, 
the  question  of  eternity  is  yet  one  of  the  unsolved  problems. 

From  the  standpoint  of  this  work,  therefore,  the  meaning 
of  immortality  is  quite  a  different  thing  from  that  expressed 
by  any  of  the  definitions  above  quoted. 

Viewed  from  this  standpoint,  Individual  Immortality 
means  nothing  more  and  nothing  less  than  a  condition  or 
state  of  being  wherein  the  individual  possesses  the  knowledge 


INDIVIDUAL  IMMORTALITY 311 

and  the  power  to  come  into  full  co-operation  with  Nature's 
Constructive  Principle. 

From  the  standpoint  of  this  work,  therefore,  we  are  not 
concerned  with  the  question  as  to  whether  this  may  or  may 
not  mean  "Life  eternal"  or  "Unending  existence,"  any  more 
than  the  astronomer  who  first  accurately  determined  the  pre- 
cession of  the  equinoxes  was,  at  the  time,  concerned  with  the 
question  as  to  how  many  such  cycles  of  time  it  would  require 
to  constitute  an  "eternity." 

The  coming  into  possession  of  such  knowledge  and  such 
power  may  mean  "Life  eternal."  It  may  mean  an  "Unending 
existence."  If  so,  then  science  and  theology  quite  agree.  If 
not,  then  science  occupies  the  stronger  ground  by  withhold- 
ing its  judgment  upon  a  question  of  the  ultimate,  which,  of 
necessity,  lies  far  beyond  the  limitations  of  its  power  of  judg- 
ment. 

To  make  this  distinction  entirely  clear,  our  astronomers 
are  to-day  able  to  calculate  the  distances,  relative  locations, 
lines  of  motion  and  velocity  of  the  planets  with  such  mathe- 
matical exactness  as  to  determine  within  a  very  few  seconds 
the  time  of  an  eclipse  of  the  sun,  or  of  the  transit  of  Venus. 
All  of  their  calculations,  however,  are  based  upon  a  very 
broad  hypothesis,  namely,  that  the  planets  will  continue  to 
move  in  the  future  just  as  they  have  done  in  the  past. 

But  no  astronomer  would  be  rash  enough  to  guarantee 
that  the  sun  will  even  be  in  existence  at  the  time  fixed  for 
the  next  eclipse,  or  that  Venus  will  not  have  exploded  long 
before  the  time  set  for  its  next  transit  of  the  sun.  These  "are 
questions  he  at  once  recognizes  as  beyond  the  limits  of  his 
jurisdiction. 

The  most  he  can  truthfully  say  is  that,  inasmuch  as  his- 
tory informs  us  that  these  planets  have  been  in  existence  many 
hundreds  of  years,  during  which  time  their  movements  have 
been  observed  and  calculated  with  comparative  certainty,  we 
have  the  scientific  right  to  assume,  for  the  purposes  of  these 
calculations,  that  they  will  go  on  in  the  same  way  for  some 
time  to  come.  But  we  have  no  scientific  license  to  declare 


312      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

that  they  are  absolutely  unchangeable,  or  that  in  their  indi- 
vidual capacity  they  are  necessarily  "eternal." 

And  so,  when  Natural  Science  comes  to  know  that  man 
upon  the  spiritual  planes  of  life  is  invested  with  the  power 
to  come  into  full  co-operation  with  what  we  have  designated 
as  Nature's  Constructive  Principle,  it  can  only  declare  that 
fact  and  nothing  more.  But  it  can  without  impropriety  sug- 
gest that  man  thus  appears  to  possess  the  power  of  indefinite 
individual  persistence.  It  can  also  point  out  that  to  all  ap- 
pearances this  would  seem  to  indicate  "Eternal  life"  or  "Un- 
ending existence."  But  it  dares  not  dogmatize  concerning 
ultimates. 

And  therefore  wherever  the  term  "immortality"  is  em- 
ployed in  this  work  or  in  subsequent  volumes  of  this  Series, 
it  must  be  understood  in  the  limited  and  scientific  sense  above 
suggested. 


ON  WHAT  IT  DEPENDS  313 


CHAPTER   V. 


ON  WHAT  IT  DEPENDS. 

By  reference  back  to  Part  II,  Chapter  IV,  Paragraph  23, 
it  will  be  observed  that  in  the  spiritual  life  man's  ability  to 
persist  and  to  advance  from  lower  to  higher  spheres  of  spir- 
itual existence  is  commensurate  with  his  independent  control 
of  all  his  individual  faculties,  capacities  and  powers,  and  is  in 
response  to  his  independent,  self-conscious  and  rational  voli- 
tion and  desire  to  so  persist  and  advance. 

In  this  fundamental  fact  we  strike  what  appears  to  be  the 
keynote  of  Nature's  harmonic  principle.  Here  it  is  we  find 
what  appears  to  be  a  rational  and  scientific  answer  to  the  great 
problem  of  evolution. 

If  the  student  has  followed  the  subject  closely  to  this  point 
he  cannot  fail  to  be  impressed  with  what  appears  to  be  a  far- 
reaching  design  of  Universal  Intelligence  as  it  expresses  itself 
in  the  ever  onward  and  upward  movement  of  evolution. 

From  the  lowest  round  of  physical  Nature  to  the  highest 
plane  of  spiritual  life  we  have  been  able  to  note  the  steady, 
unfaltering,  upward  march  of  Nature  toward  the  consumma- 
tion of  what  appears  to  be  a  fixed  and  definite  purpose. 

Out  of  the  seeming  chaos  of  inorganic  conditions  we  have 
noted  the  slow  but  inevitable  rise  of  individual  life.  We  have 
observed  that  from  the  time  of  its  first  appearance  upon  the 
plane  of  physical  life  each  evolutionary  round  has  invested 
the  individual  entity  with  higher,  stronger  and  more  enduring 
individual  characteristics. 

We  have  seen  this  individual  entity  at  each  higher  round 
in  the  ascent  of  life  develop  new  capacities  and  added  powers, 
and  each  step  has  been  in  the  direction  of  individual  independ- 
ence, emancipation  and  supremacy. 

From  the  individual  crystal  to  the  individual  man  there 
has  been  and  is  a  steady  and  seemingly  intelligent  and  pur- 
poseful graduation  from  lower  to  higher  rounds  of  individ- 
ualized existence. 

And  what,  in  all  this,  is  the  one  most  conspicuous,  signifi- 


314:      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

cant  and  salient  fact  which  impresses  the  mind  as  of  para- 
mount value  and  importance? 

It  is  this,  that  out  of  all  the  struggles  of  Nature,  out  of 
all  the  seemingly  uncertain  conditions  of  individual  existence, 
out  of  all  the  play  of  Nature's  laws,  principles,  forces,  activi- 
ties and  processes,  out  of  all  the  mystery  which  surrounds 
the  ultimate  destiny  of  individual  life,  there  has  at  last 
emerged  an  individualized,  intelligent  entity  which  possesses 
the  inherent  power  of  indefinite  persistence,  as  an  individual- 
ized intelligence  upon  the  spiritual  planes  of  existence,  by  and 
through  co-operation  with  Nature's  Constructive  Principle. 

In  other  words,  out  of  all  the  complex  operations  of  the 
seemingly  automatic  and  mechanical  processes  of  lower  Na- 
ture has  at  last  been  evolved  an  individualized,  intelligent  en- 
tity, possessing  the  one  transcendent  power  of  Individual 
Immortality. 

Man  is  that  individualized,  intelligent  entity.  He  stands 
solitary  and  alone  upon  the  summit  of  that  splendid  ascent 
of  individual  life,  a  fitting  expression  of  the  consummation 
of  Nature's  stupendous  schefne  of  evolution. 

As  he  stands  thus  majestically  upon  the  pinnacle  of  the 
ascent  of  individualized  life  and  intelligence,  he  presents  to 
the  mind  a  splendid  picture  in  evidence  of  Nature's  evolution- 
ary triumph. 

As  we  study  the  picture  in  all  its  outlines,  the  mind  turns 
with  an  irresistible  impulse  to  a  search  for  the  hidden  springs 
of  that  subtle,  sustaining  power  by  and  through  which  man 
is  able  to  rise  superior  to  the  operation  of  Nature's  Destruc- 
tive Principle  and  achieve  that  final  triumph  which  Nature 
has  placed  within  his  possibilities,  the  triumph  of  Individual 
Immortality. 

Here  in  this  fertile  field  of  spiritual  life,  which  physical 
science  dogmatically  placards  "The  Unknowable,"  and  which 
speculative  philosophy  generously  concedes  to  be  "The  Un- 
known," Natural  Science  and  true  religion  find  a  common 
ground  of  sympathy  in  their  search  for  truth. 

Here  in  this  apparently  unlimited  field  of  research  and  ex- 
periment is  again  illustrated  the  process  by  which  science  has 


ON  WHAT  IT  DEPENDS 315 

so  often  worked  out  its  verifications  of  the  soul's  intuitions 
and  its  unanswerable  demonstrations  of  the  fallacies  of  unen- 
lightened dogmatism. 

With  seemingly  unanswerable  logic  Natural  Science  pro- 
ceeds to  the  solution  of  the  great  problem  of  Individual  Im- 
mortality, and  in  that  scientific  solution  the  following  facts 
have  a  special  value : 

1.  It  has  been  demonstrated  that  death,  both  physical  and 
spiritual,  is  the  inevitable  heritage  of  all  forms  of  individual 
life  below  the  level  of  man. 

2.  It  is  found  that  man  possesses  the  power,  if  he  will 
but  use  it,  to  rise  superior  to  the  operation  of  Nature's  De- 
structive  Principle.     By  the  exercise  of  this  power  he  may 
perpetuate  his  individual  life  upon  the  spiritual  planes  indefi- 
nitely.    He   may   advance    from   lower  to   higher   planes  of 
spiritual  life  by  an  ever  increasing  acquisition  of  individual 
power,  until  he  passes  to  realms  above  and  beyond  the  range 
of  all  our  present  knowledge. 

In  other  words,  he  possesses  that  wonderful  and  myste- 
rious acquisition  which  we  may  designate  as  the  power  of 
individual  persistence  upon  the  spiritual  planes  of  life.  He 
is  likewise  the  only  individualized,  intelligent  entity  of  which 
we  have  personal  and  definite  knowledge,  who  is  capable  of 
rising  to  this  transcendent  state  of  Individual  Immortality. 

3.  It  is  found  that   man   possesses   certain   well  defined 
capacities,  faculties  and  powers  not  found  to  exist  in  any  of 
the  rounds  of  individual  life  which  lie  below  him  in  the  scale 
of  evolution. 

That  is  to  say,  he  possesses  all  that  is  found  in  the  world 
of  individual  life  below  him,  with  something  added.  He 
therefore  possesses  something  which  is  distinctively  and  ex- 
clusively his  own,  something  not  possessed  by  animal  Nature. 
And  it  is  this  distinctive  and  exclusive  possession  which,  in 
fact,  makes  him  man. 

To  these  superior  endowments  of  Nature,  which  are  ex- 
clusively his  own  and  distinguish  him  as  an  individualized 
intelligence  from  all  that  lies  below  him,  Natural  Science  turns 
in  its  search  for  that  which  lifts  him  to  his  higher  round  of 


316       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

individualized  existence.  To  these  it  looks  for  the  secret 
which  gives  to  him  his  distinctive  place  in  Nature.  To  these 
and  these  alone  it  turns  for  the  key  which  unlocks  to  him 
the  door  of  Individual  Immortality. 

WHAT  ARE  THEY? 

It  is  found  that  among  those  specific  and  individual  capaci- 
ties, faculties  and  powers  which  are  distinctively  and  ex- 
clusively human  are: 

1.  SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS,    as    distinguished     from     mere 
Consciousness. 

2.  REASON,  as  distinguished  from  mere  Intelligence. 

3.  INDEPENDENT  CHOICE,  as  distinguished  from  automatic 
or  involuntary  Selection. 

4.  INDEPENDENT,  SELF-CONSCIOUS  and  RATIONAL  WILL, 
OR  VOLITION. 

These  are  the  inherent,  essential  and  distinctive  elements 
which  are  exclusively  related  to  and  constitute  the  background 
of  human  character.  To  these,  therefore,  and  to  these  alone 
must  of  necessity  be  related  whatever  distinctive  and  exclusive 
powers  man  may  possess  over  and  above  the  animal. 

But  the  one  exclusive  power  of  this  character  man  pos- 
sesses which  transcends  all  others  in  value  and  importance 
to  himself  is  that  which  enables  him  to  intelligently  co-operate 
with  Nature's  Constructive  Principle,  rise  above  the  operation 
of  Nature's  Destructive  Principle,  persist  indefinitely  upon 
the  spiritual  planes  of  life,  and  thereby  achieve  Individual  Im- 
mortality. 

Therefore,  in  the  above  named  distinctive  and  exclusive 
elements  of  human  character,  namely,  Self-Consciousness, 
Reason,  Independent  Choice  and  an  Independent,  Self-Con- 
scious  and  Rational  Volition,  we  have  laid  out  before  us  the 
subject  matter  for  an  intelligent  and  scientific  study  of  the 
great  problem  of  Individual  Immortality. 

With  this  thought  clearly  in  mind,  it  is  hoped  that  the 
following  pages  may  contain  something  of  special  interest  and 
possible  value  to  every  student  of  the  higher  lines  of  thought 
and  inquiry.  It  is  therefore  assumed  that  any  apology  for 


ON  WHAT  IT  DEPENDS 317 

the  time  and  space  consumed  in  an  effort  to  simplify  the  sub- 
ject and  bring  it  within  the  easy  understanding  of  the  student 
would  be  out  of  place. 

Without  further  explanation,  therefore,  let  us  turn  our 
attention  to  a  study  of  the  great  problem  before  us. 

SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS. 

In  all  the  varied  forms  of  animal  life  we  are  forced  to 
recognize  evidences  of  a  certain  character,  degree  or  quality 
of  consciousness.  However  low  down  the  scale  of  animal 
life  we  may  choose  to  go,  we  fail  to  reach  a  point  where  this 
faculty  or  capacity  appears  to  be  wholly  wanting.  This  would 
appear  to  establish  with  reasonable  certainty  the  fact  that  con- 
sciousness is  a  primary  faculty  or  capacity  of  the  individual, 
animal  entity. 

Consciousness  is,  indeed,  that  faculty  or  capacity  of  the 
individual  intelligence,  ego,  soul  or  entity,  by  and  through 
which  it  becomes  aware  of  the  existence  of  a  world  outside 
itself  as  well  as  a  world  of  demands  within.  Through  this 
faculty  or  capacity  the  appetites,  passions,  desires,  impulses, 
affections,  emotions,  instincts  and  intuitions  make  their  im- 
pression upon  the  individual  entity  and  command  recognition. 
Through  this  faculty  or  capacity  alone  are  the  five  physical 
senses  able  to  convey  their  messages  to  the  entity  itself  and 
•have  them  recorded. 

But  in  all  the  realm  of  animal  life  there  appear  to  be  such 
fixed  limitations  upon  this  faculty  or  capacity  as  to  mark  a 
distinct  line  of  differentiation  between  the  animal  conscious- 
ness and  the  consciousness  of  man.  This  fact  would  seem  to 
indicate  that  the  Soul  Element  of  Nature,  which  is  individual- 
ized in  man  alone,  has  undoubtedly  added  to  animal  conscious- 
ness something  which  is  distinctively  and  exclusively  human 
in  its  character,  degree  or  quality. 

To  distinguish  between  the  character,  degree  or  quality  of 
consciousness  in  animals  and  men  we  designate  animal  con- 
sciousness as  simple  "consciousness"  and  human  conscious- 
ness as  "Self-Consciousness." 


318       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

Self-Consciousness  is  that  character,  degree  or  quality  of 
consciousness  which  enables  us  to  know  and  understand  our- 
selves. It  is  that  which  enables  us  to  perform  our  acts  know- 
ingly and  intentionally.  It  involves  the  consciousness  of  the 
relations  which  exist  between  this  self  and  those  other  selves. 
It  is  that  consciousness  which  is  able  to  recognize  the  self  as 
a  responsible,  individual  intelligence.  It  is,  indeed,  one  of 
the  primary,  fundamental  and  essential  elements  of  human 
character  upon  which  individual  responsibility  is  based  and 
upon  which  it  depends. 

REASON. 

As  with  consciousness,  so  with  reason.  Whatever  may 
be  said  concerning  the  intelligence  of  animals,  however  closely 
they  border  the  realm  of  the  human,  there  is  a  subtle  dividing 
line,  which  is  not  easily  mistaken,  running  between  the  two 
kingdoms  of  Nature. 

We  recognize  our  intimate  relationship  to  the  animal  king- 
dom in  the  appetites,  passions,  emotions,  desires,  instincts  and 
impulses  which  we  experience  in  common  with  the  animal. 
Even  our  motives,  when  judged  by  our  actions,  are  often  such 
as  to  suggest  the  animal  rather  than  the  man. 

But  when  we  enter  the  realm  of  the  purely  psychical  and 
ethical  we  at  once  become  aware  that  we  are  in  a  field  unoccu- 
pied by  the  animal,  a  field  which  appears  to  be  reserved  to 
man  alone.  In  other  words,  it  is  in  the  realm  of  the  soul 
that  man  rises  to  a  distinct  and  exclusive  level  above  and 
beyond  the  limitations  of  the  animal. 

This  is  not  intended  to  deny  nor  in  the  least  degree  mini- 
mize the  intelligence  of  animals.  On  the  other  hand,  it  will 
be  conceded  by  every  intelligent  student  of  natural  history 
that  the  animal  displays  many  unmistakable  evidences  of  a 
nascent  or  dawning  intelligence.  A  careful  investigation  and 
study  of  these  evidences,  however,  would  seem  to  establish 
certain  fixed  and  definite  limitations  within  which  the  opera- 
tions of  animal  intelligence  are  circumscribed. 

To  a  considerable  extent,  indeed,  the  animal  intelligence 


ON  WHAT  IT  DEPENDS 319 

appears  to  operate  as  a  natural  reflex  of  the  purely  physical 
motives  of  animal  Nature.  It  is,  to  all  appearances,  con- 
cerned with  an  exclusive  interest  in  its  physical  life  and  en- 
vironment. The  struggle  for  nutrition,  for  individual  life, 
for  self-protection,  for  the  gratification  of  the  purely  physical 
appetites,  passions,  affections,  emotions  and  desires,  the  in- 
stinct of  reproduction,  the  mother's  care  of  her  young,  all 
combine  to  make  up  the  little  world  within  which  animal  in- 
telligence finds  the  limits  of  its  achievements. 

But  not  so  in  the  larger  domain  of  human  intelligence. 
Here  we  have  most  clearly  defined  those  higher,  sustained 
activities  of  the  analytic  and  synthetic  mind  which  we  desig- 
nate as  "Reason." 

This  power  of  inductive  and  deductive  reasoning  which 
appears  to  be  almost,  if  not  entirely,  wanting  in  the  animal, 
rises  in  man  to  a  development  apparently  without  fixed  limita- 
tions. Man  reasons  analytically,  synthetically,  inductively 
and  deductively  on  all  the  affairs  of  his  own  life  as  well  as 
on  the  lives  of  his  fellow-men.  He  reasons  upon  his  physical 
body,  his  appetites,  passions,  impulses,  desires  and  functions. 
He  reasons  upon  this  life  and  the  life  to  come,  He  reasons 
upon  the  spirit  and  likewise  upon  the  soul.  He  reasons  upon 
what  he  is,  what  he  has  been,  and  what  he  may  yet  become. 
He  reasons  upon  himself  as  an  individual  intelligence  and  as 
a  part  of  the  great  aggregate  of  Universal  Intelligence.  He 
reasons  upon  things  finite  and  things  which  appear  to  him  to 
be  infinite.  He  reasons  upon  God  and  Nature,  finite  intelli- 
gence and  infinite  intelligence.  He  reasons  upon  reason  itself, 
and  in  all  his  reasoning  he  is  seldom  content  to  stop  short  of 
the  ultimate. 

It  is  upon  this  power  of  reason  that  he  depends  to  guard 
himself  from  the  errors,  mistakes  and  accidents  of  life.  This 
is  the  power  which  enabled  him  to  anticipate  the  natural  and 
logical  results  of  his  own  actions. 

Reason,  in  truth,  is  another  of  the  primary,  fundamental 
and  essential  elements  of  human  character  at  the  basis  of  in- 
dividual responsibility. 


320       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

INDEPENDENT  CHOICE. 

A  further  study  and  comparison  of  animals  and  men  dis- 
covers another  marked  distinction  between  them,  namely,  in 
the  power  of  independent  choice.  The  distinction  here,  as  in 
the  case  of  consciousness  and  reason,  is  undoubtedly  of  a 
psychic  nature  and  referable  to  the  Soul  Element  of  Nature, 
which  is  individualized  in  man  alone. 

The  power  of  individual  choice  in  the  animal  is  so  nearly 
a  reflex  of  the  physical  appetites,  passions,  affections,  emo- 
tions, desires  and  instincts  that  it  apparently  loses  the  element 
of  independence  to  a  very  large  extent.  In  the  elections  and 
selections  of  the  animal  we  seldom  discover  anything  to  indi- 
cate a  clear  and  unqualified  act  of  reason  overthrowing  the 
appetites,  passions,  affections,  desires,  emotions  and  instincts. 
But  a  careful  analysis  of  the  act  and  its  motive  seems  to  es- 
tablish a  natural  concurrence  of  whatever  reason  is  mani- 
fested, with  the  physical  and  spiritual  demands  above  enu- 
merated. In  other  words,  the  moral  element  appears  to  be 
wanting  in  the  motives  which  govern  animal  life  and  action. 

But  in  man  this  power  of  independent  choice  rises  to  the 
highest  level  of  his  ethical  nature.  To  the  extent  only  that 
man  may,  in  truth,  be  said  to  be  a  creature  of  environment 
would  his  power  of  individual  choice  appear  to  lack  the  ele- 
ment of  independence. 

However  much  we  may  endeavor  to  excuse  ourselves  from 
the  natural  penalties  of  our  own  mistakes,  derelictions  and 
transgressions  upon  the  theory  that  we  are  but  "creatures  of 
circumstances,"  we  know  that  our  fellow  men  almost  unani- 
mously deal  with  us  upon  the  assumption  that  we  really  do 
possess  the  power  of  independent  choice.  Nor  do  we  even 
protest  against  such  an  assumption.  On  the  contrary,  we  en- 
courage it.  Indeed,  our  pride  of  intelligence  would  be  most 
deeply  offended  if  our  friends  and  fellows  should  presume  to 
doubt  or  question  our  perfect  independence.  We  therefore 
accept  the  common  judgment  of  our  fellow  men  and  in  return 
we  hold  them  to  the  same  standard  of  accountability. 

In  this  power  of  independent  and  rational  election,  selec- 


ON  WHAT  IT  DEPENDS 321 

tion  and  choice  we  recognize  another  of  the  primary,  funda- 
mental and  essential  elements  of  human  character  at  the  foun- 
dation of  individual  responsibility. 

INDEPENDENT,  SELF-CONSCIOUS  AND  RATIONAL  VOLITION. 

Those  who  have  given  the  subject  any  considerable  amount 
of  thought  and  consideration  have  already  discovered  that  an 
independent,  self-conscious  and  rational  act  is  never  performed 
without  an  impulse  of  the  will  to  set  in  motion  the  processes 
by  and  through  which  the  act  is  to  be  accomplished.  This 
impulse  of  the  will  we  call  "Volition." 

This  power  of  volition  is  possessed  by  animals  as  well  as 
by  men.  But  here  again  we  find  a  distinct  line  of  differentia- 
tion manifest.  The  animal  volition  responds  in  what  appears 
to  be  a  semi-automatic  manner  to  the  animal  impulses.  It  is 
apparently  little  more  than  a  reflex  of  the  animal  appetites, 
passions,  affections,  emotions,  desires  and  instincts. 

To  a  marked  degree,  therefore,  it  lacks  in  one  or  more  of 
the  elements  of  independence,  self-consciousness  and  reason. 
To  the  same  degree  it  lacks  the  moral  elements  at  the  founda- 
tion of  individual  responsibility. 

A  brief  study  of  human  nature  is  sufficient  to  make  clear 
the  distinction  which  it  is  important  to  emphasize  at  this 
point.  Man  in  his  normal  physical  and  mental  state  of  being 
possesses  the  power  to  act  independently.  This  means  that 
he  is  able  to  act  unaided  and  uninfluenced  by  his  fellow  men. 
He  also  possesses  the  power  to  act  self-consciously.  This 
means  that  he  is  able  to  act  knowingly  and  intentionally.  And 
finally,  he  has  the  power  to  act  rationally.  This  means  that 
he  is  able  to  anticipate  the  natural  and  logical  results  of  his 
own  acts  within  the  scope  of  his  acquired  knowledge. 

For  the  purpose  of  presenting  this  subject  more  vividly 
to  the  mind  of  the  analytical  student  the  following  brief  dia- 
gram is  suggested  as  a  valuable  object  lesson : 


322       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 


VOLITION 


(    Unaided 
INDEPENDENT      )  &n& 

I  Uninfluenced 


4     Knowingly 
SELF-CONSCIOUS  /  and 

I  Intentionally 


RATIONAL 


Anticipating 

the 
Results 


RESPONSIBILITY 


This  simple  diagram  carries  its  own  explanation.  Whether 
we  admit  it  or  not,  the  elements  therein  suggested  are  those 
upon  which  we  must  and  do  depend  in  determining  the  ques- 
tion of  individual  responsibility. 

The  unqualified  truth  of  this  statement  will  become  per- 
fectly apparent  to  every  intelligent  thinker  who  will  take  the 
trouble  to  familiarize  himself  with  the  fundamental  principles 
underlying  the  criminal  jurisprudence  of  our  country.  Upon 
this  subject  the  ablest  minds  of  all  the  ages  have  been  em- 
ployed in  an  effort  to  work  out  a  system  or  standard  by  which 
to  try  and  determine  the  motives  and  the  actions  of  men  with 
perfect  equity,  justice  and  right. 

Should  he  turn  to  the  official  record  of  any  important  crim- 
inal trial  he  will  find  abundant  confirmation  of  the  foregoing 
statements. 

From  the  "indictment,"  which  is  the  first  legal  document 
containing  the  criminal  charges,  through  all  the  evidence,  the 
testimony  of  witnesses,  the  objections  of  counsel,  the  rulings 
of  the  court,  the  charge  to  the  jury,  the  finding  of  the  ver- 
dict and*  the  final  judgment  of  the  court  upon  the  verdict, 
there  is  but  one  general  purpose.  That  purpose  is  to  deter- 
mine the  guilt  or  innocence  of  the  accused. 

The  first  thing  to  be  determined  is  whether  the  act  charged 
in  the  indictment  was  actually  committed.  If  this  be  proved, 
the  second  step  is  to  determine  whether  the  accused  is  the 
person  who  committed  the  act  so  charged.  If  this  also  be 


ON  WHAT  IT  DEPENDS 323 

proved,  then  the  third  step  is  to  determine  whether  he  did  it 
of  his  own  volition.  If  it  can  be  shown  that  he  committed 
the  act  charged,  and  did  it  voluntarily,  then  the  inquiry  is 
narrowed  to  three  simple  questions,  viz. : 

1.  Even  though  he  committed  the  act  charged  and  did  it 
of  his  own  volition,  did  he  act  entirely  independently?     In 
other  words,  was  he  aided  or  influenced  by  any  one  else?     If 
so,  by  whom  and  to  what  extent  ? 

2.  Did  he  commit  the  act  entirely  self-consciously  ?     That 
is  to  say,  did  he  act  knowingly  and  intentionally  ? 

3.  Was  he  in  the  full  possession  of  his  reason  at  the  time 
the  act  was  committed?     Or,  differently  stated,  was  the  act 
his  own  rational  act  ?     And  this  means,  was  he  at  the  time  able 
to  anticipate  the  logical  and  natural  results  of  his  act? 

If  all  these  conditions  can  be  shown  to  have  existed  at  the 
time  the  act  was  committed,  then  the  jury  has  nothing  to  do 
but  return  a  verdict  of  "Guilty  as  charged  in  the  indictment" 
(unless  the  element  of  self-defense  enters  into  the  case)  and 
the  accused  must  suffer  the  full  penalty  of  the  law. 

But  if  it  can  be  shown  that  he  did  not  act  independently, 
then  it  is  the  business  of  the  court  and  jury  to  ascertain  to 
what  extent  he  was  aided  or  influenced  by  others,  and  by 
whom.  In  just  so  far  as  it  can  be  determined  that  he  was 
aided  or  influenced  by  others  to  commit  the  act,  to  that  extent 
•it  is  the  intent  of  the  law  to  condone  the  offense.  To  that 
extent  also  he  is  relieved  of  responsibility.  To  the  same  ex- 
tent the  responsibility  for  his  act  is  fixed  upon  those  who  are 
found  to  have  aided  or  influenced  him  to  commit  it,  and  it 
becomes  the  duty  of  the  court  to  see  that  they  are  adequately 
punished,  if  this  be  possible. 

Again,  if  it  can  be  shown  that  at  the  time  of  the  commis- 
sion of  the  act  complained  of  he  was  not  entirely  self-con- 
scious ;  in  other  words,  if  in  any  measure  the  act  was  com- 
mitted without  knowledge  or  intent  on  his  part,  then  it  is  nec- 
essary and  proper  to  ascertain  to  what  extent  this  was  the  case. 
When  it  is  determined  to  what  extent  the  element  of  self- 
consciousness  was  lacking  at  the  time  the  act  was  committed, 
to  that  extent  he  must  be  held  not  responsible.  In  the  verdict 


324:      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

of  the  jury  and  the  final  judgment  of  the  court  upon  the  ver- 
dict and  in  the  sentence  pronounced  by  the  court  the  effort 
will  be  made  to  give  him  the  benefit  to  whatever  extent  he  is 
found  to  be  not  responsible. 

And  finally,  the  question  of  his  sanity  must  be  deter- 
mined. If  it  can  be  shown  that  at  the  time  of  the  commission 
of  the  act  he  was  not  in  full  possession  of  his  reason,  it  be- 
comes the  duty  of  the  court  and  jury  to  ascertain  to  what  ex- 
tent he  was  unable  to  exercise  his  rational  faculties,  capacities 
and  powers.  To  what  extent  was  he  at  the  time  unable  to 
rationally  anticipate  the  logical  and  natural  results  of  his  act? 
When  this  question  is  determined  it  is  the  intent  of  the  law 
to  condone  the  offense  to  a  degree  commensurate  with  his  lack 
of  rational  understanding. 

In  other  words,  in  just  so  far  as  it  can  be  determined  that 
he  was,  at  the  time  of  the  commission  of  the  act,  not  in  pos- 
session of  all  his  rational  faculties,  capacities  and  powers,  to 
that  extent  he  is  relieved  from  responsibility  for  the  act  so 
committed.  To  that  extent  he  is  held  to  be  excused  from  the 
consequences  of  his  act,  and  to  the  same  extent  his  sentence 
will  be  mitigated. 

It  is  equally  true  that  if  it  can  be  shown  that  he  was  de- 
prived of  the  use  of  any  of  his  natural  faculties,  capacities  or 
powers  through  the  independent,  self-conscious  and  rational 
volition  of  another  party,  then  he  is  not  only  relieved  from  re- 
sponsibility but  the  responsibility  for  his  act  is  transferred  to 
such  third  party,  who  must  suffer  the  law's  penalty  therefor. 

Thus  it  is  found,  and  universally  admitted,  that  the  pri- 
mary, fundamental  and  essential  elements  of  individual  respon- 
sibility are: 

1.  SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS. 

2.  INDEPENDENT  CHOICE. 

3.  REASON. 

4.  INDEPENDENT,  SELF-CONSCIOUS  AND  RATIONAL  VOLI- 
TION. 

Upon  the  basis  of  these  elements  of  human  character  and 
by  the  standard  which  they  establish  we  judge  our  fellow  men, 
whether  we  admit  it  or  not,  and  upon  the  same  basis  and  by 


ON  WHAT  IT  DEPENDS 325 

the  same  standard  we  are  judged  by  them,  whether  we  will  it 
or  not. 

But  by  reference  to  the  introductory  pages  of  this  chapter 
it  will  be  observed  that  these  elements  of  individual  responsi- 
bility are  identical  with  those  faculties,  capacities  and  powers 
of  the  Soul  which  are  found  to  be  distinctively  and  exclusively 
human.  These,  it  will  be  remembered,  are  the  faculties,  ca- 
pacities and  powers  which  distinguish  man  from  all  the  rounds 
of  animal  life  which  lie  below  him  in  the  scale  of  evolution. 
Animals  do  not  possess  them.  Man  does,  and  they  belong  to 
man  alone. 

To  these  distinctive  and  exclusive,  human  possessions, 
therefore,  science  is  compelled  to  turn  for  the  key  which  un- 
locks to  man  the  door  of  Individual  Immortality. 

It  is  found : 

i.     That  man  possesses  the  power  of  Individual  Immor- 
tality. 

2..  That  he  is  the  only  individualized  intelligent  entity 
which  does  possess  it. 

3.  That  he  is  the  only  entity  within  the  range  of  scientific 
knowledge  in  which  are  present  all  the  elements  of  character 
upon  which  individual  responsibility  depends. 

4.  That  these  elements  of  human  character  which  consti- 
tute the  basis  of  individual  responsibility  are  identical  with 
those  distinctive  and  exclusive  faculties,  capacities  and  powers 
which  distinguish  him  from  the  animal,  and  on  which  he  must 
therefore  depend  in  his  struggle  for  Individual  Immortality. 

In  other  v  words,  Universal  Intelligence  has  invested  man 
with  certain  intelligent  faculties,  capacities  and  powers  which 
make  him  individually  responsible  under  the  law  of  his  be- 
ing. By  the  proper  exercise  and  use  of  these  intelligent  facul- 
ties, capacities  and  powers  he  discharges  his  individual  respon- 
sibility and  at  the  same  time  achieves  Nature's  just  reward 
therefor,  which  is  Individual  Immortality. 

By  the  surrender  or  abuse  of  these  intelligent  faculties,  ca- 
pacities and  powers  he  violates  the  constructive  law  of  his 
being,  invokes  upon  himself  the  operation  of  Nature's  De- 
structive Principle,  and  enters  upon  the  downward  path  of  life, 


326       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

the  ultimate  destination  of  which  appears  to  be  individual 
extinction,  dissolution  and  a  resolution  back  into  Nature's 
elements  from  which  he  came. 

From  the  foregoing  facts  and  analysis  we  are  brought  face 
to  face  with  the  following  irresistible  and  irrefutable  conclu- 
sions, viz. : 

i.  Whatever  in  Nature  shall  interfere  with  the  free  and 
independent  exercise  and  use  of  those  primary,  fundamental 
and  essential  faculties,  capacities  and  powers  which  form  the 
basis  of  man's  individual  responsibility,  must  inevitably  ob- 
struct his  pathway  toward  Individual  Immortality. 

2..  Whatsoever,  or  whosoever  shall  divest  or  deprive  man 
of  the  free  exercise  and  use  of  those  faculties,  capacities  and 
powers  upon  which  his  individual  responsibility  depends  at- 
tacks the  very  essence  of  his  being  and  invokes  upon  him  the 
operation  of  Nature's  Destructive  Principle. 

3.  Whosoever  attacks  those  distinctive  and  exclusive  fac- 
ulties, capacities  and  powers  by  and  through  the  free  and  in- 
dependent exercise  and  use  of  which  man  asserts  and  maintains 
his  position  as  a  responsible  individual  intelligence  and  upon 
which  he  must  depend  for  the  achievement  of  Individual  Im- 
mortality, is  a  menace  to  society,  an  obstruction  to  individual 
progress  and  an  enemy  of  mankind.  For, 

THIS   IS  THE   WAY  OF  DEATH. 


SELF-CONTROL,  THE  APPLICATION        327 

CHAPTER  VI. 

SELF-CONTROL,  THE  APPLICATION. 

The  following  brief  recapitulation  will  make  clear  the  ap- 
plication of  the  principle  under  consideration: 

I.  There  are  two  great  fundamental  principles  of  Nature 
which  are  forever  contending  for  supremacy  in  the  life  of 
every  intelligent  soul. 

2..  One  of  these  is  known  to  science  as  the  Constructive 
Principle  of  Nature  in  Individual  Life. 

3.  The  other  is  known  and  designated  as  The  Destructive 
Principle  of  Nature  in  Individual  Life. 

4.  Man  possesses  the  power  to  conform  his  life  to  either 
of  these  fundamental  principles  at  will. 

5.  By  conforming  his  life  to  Nature's  Constructive  Prin- 
ciple he  discharges  his  individual  responsibility  to  himself,  to 
his  fellow  man  and  to  Nature,  or  Universal  Intelligence. 

6.  By  this  discharge  of  his  individual   responsibility  he 
earns  Nature's  reward  therefor,  which  is  Individual  Immortal- 
ity,  Self-Completion  and   perfect   Happiness   both  here  and 
hereafter. 

7.  By  the  achievement  of  Individual  Immortality  the  in- 
dividual rises  superior  to  the  Destructive  Principle  of  Nature, 
and  triumphs  over  all  things   whatsoever   that   obstruct   his 
pathway  toward  the  ultimate  evolutionary  goal  of  individual 
life  and  intelligence. 

8.  By  conforming  his  life  to  Nature's  Destructive  Prin- 
ciple he  fails  in  the  discharge  of  his  individual  responsibility 
to  himself,  to  his  fellow  man  and  to  Nature,  or  Universal  In- 
telligence. 

9.  By  such  failure  or  refusal  to  discharge  his  individual 
responsibility  he  thereby  enters  upon  the  pathway  of  Death. 
He  must  inevitably  suffer  Nature's  penalties  therefor.     These 
penalties,  so  far  as  known  to  science,  are  individual  unhappi- 
ness  and  loss  both  here  and  hereafter,  leading  with  unerring 
certainty  to  ultimate  dissolution,  disintegration,  individual  ex- 


328       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

tinction  and  a  resolution  back  into   Nature's  elements   from 
which  he  came. 

10.  Man  possesses  certain  well  defined  attributes  of  indi- 
vidual nature  which  are  distinctively  and  exclusively  human. 

11.  These  are  the  attributes  of  the  Soul. 

12.  They    are    Self-Consciousness,    Reason,    Independent 
Choice,  and  Independent,  Self-Conscious  and  Rational  Voli- 
tion. 

13.  Upon  his  own  free  and  independent  control  and  exer- 
cise of  these  individual  attributes  of  the  soul  man  must  depend 
for  his  ability  to  co-operate  with  Nature's  Constructive  Prin- 
ciple,   discharge   his    individual    responsibility,    achieve    Indi- 
vidual  Immortality  and   Self-Completion,  and  attain   Happi- 
ness both  here  and  hereafter. 

14.  Whatever  deprives  him  of  his  own  free,  independent 
and  voluntary  control  and  exercise  of  these  fundamental  at- 
tributes of  the  soul  thereby  robs  him  of  his  power  to  co-oper- 
ate with  Nature's  Constructive  Principle,  discharge  his  indi- 
vidual  responsibility  or  achieve   Individual   Immortality  and 
Self -Completion,  and  destroys  the  possibility  of  his  happiness 
both  here  and  hereafter. 

THE  APPLICATION. 

Hypnotism  is  a  subjective,  psychic  process. 

In  so  far  as  it  exists  at  any  given  time  it  paralyzes  the 
will  and  voluntary  powers  of  the  subject. 

To  exactly  this  extent  it  deprives  him  of  his  own  free  and 
independent  control  and  exercise  of  all  those  attributes  of  the 
soul  upon  which  he  must  depend  for  his  ability  to  co-operate 
with  Nature's  Constructive  Principle,  discharge  his  individual 
responsibility,  achieve  Individual  Immortality  and  Self-Com- 
pletion, as  well  as  Happiness  either  here  or  hereafter. 

Mediumship,  like  hypnotism,  is  a  subjective,  psychic  pro- 
cess. 

Like  hypnotism,  also,  in  just  so  far  as  it  exists  at  any  given 
time  it  paralyzes  the  will  and  voluntary  powers  of  the  me- 
dium. 

To  whatever  extent  this  condition  obtains  at  any  given  time 


SELF-CONTROL,  THE  APPLICATION        329 

it  deprives  the  medium  of  his  own  free  and  independent  con- 
trol and  exercise  of  all  those  attributes  of  the  soul  upon  which 
he  must  depend  for  the  achievement  of  Individual  Immortal- 
ity, Self-Completion,  and  happiness  both  here  and  hereafter. 

Hypnotism  and  Mediumship,  therefore,  are  manifestations 
of  Nature's  Destructive  Principle  in  operation  in  Individual 
Life. 

In  just  so  far  as  they  exist,  the  process  involved  violates 
every  constructive  principle  of  Nature  in  Individual  Life, 
trespasses  upon  every  inalienable  right,  privilege  and  pos- 
session of  the  soul,  and  invokes  the  immediate  operation  of 
the  Destructive  Principle  of  Nature  in  Individual  Life. 

The  individual  who  makes  this  election  and  consistently 
adheres  to  it  thereby  places  himself  upon  the  broad  highway 
to  unhappiness  here  and  hereafter,  the  ultimate  destination  of 
which,  so  far  as  science  knows,  is  ultimate  dissolution,  dis- 
integration, total  individual  extinction  and  a  resolution  of  the 
individual  entity,  physically,  spiritually  and  psychically,  back 
into  the  original  elements  from  which  it  came. 

This  is  "The   Second  Death." 

This  is  "Spiritual  Death." 

This  is  Psychical  Death,  "The  Death  of  the  Soul." 

And  this  is — THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME. 


330       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 
CHAPTER  vn. 

THE  LINE  OF  DESPAIR  AND  THE  POWERS  OF  DARKNESS. 
"Who  enters  here  leaves  Hope  behind." 

Hypnotism  and  Mediumship  are  not  the  only  psychologi- 
cal crimes  possible  to  individual  intelligence.  Indeed,  they 
exemplify  but  two  of  the  many  methods  or  processes  by  and 
through  which  man  may  subject  his  fellow  man  or  be  sub- 
jected to  the  operation  of  Nature's  Destructive  Principle  in 
such  manner  as  to  invoke  the  penalties  which  Nature  pre- 
scribes therefor. 

The  scope  and  purpose  of  this  volume,  however,  are  such 
as  to  preclude  the  consideration  of  other  subjects  and  limit  us 
to  an  examination  of  Nature's  Destructive  Principle  in  Indi- 
vidual Life  as  it  exemplifies  itself  in  these  particular  processes 
of  psychic  subjectivity  and  psychic  control. 

Notwithstanding  these  limitations  it  would  seem  proper  to 
call  attention  at  this  point  to  the  important  fact  that  while 
there  are  many  different  methods  and  processes  by  and  through 
which  Nature's  Destructive  Principle  may  be  invoked,  yet 
the  fundamental  principle  itself  is  always  the  same.  It  in- 
volves the  relationship  of  activity  to  passivity,  positive  to  nega- 
tive, energy  to  inertia,  strength  to  weakness,  aggression  to 
suppression,  domination  to  submission,  Control  to  Subjection. 

It  may  also  be  said,  for  it  so  appears  from  all  the  known 
facts  of  science,  that  all  crime  is  referable  to  these  relationships. 
The  powerful,  energetic,  ambitious,  positive,  active,  aggres- 
sive, dominating  and  controlling  intelligence  in  the  gratifica- 
tion of  selfishness  and  vanity  is  guilty  of  the  crimes  and  sins 
of  commission.  The  weak,  timid,  credulous,  inert,  negative, 
passive,  submissive,  yielding  and  surrendering  intelligence  is 
responsible  for  the  crimes  and  sins  of  omission.  Acting  to- 
gether they  accomplish  all  the  crimes  and  sins  known  to  the 
calendar  of  Nature. 

In  order  that  the  subject  may  not  be  dismissed  from  the 
mind  and  consciousness  with  an  imperfect  conception  or  a  de- 


THE  LINE  OF  DESPAIR 331 

fective  understanding  of  the  principle  involved  in  Hypnotism 
and  Mediumship,  it  is  necessary  to  know  something  definitely 
of  the  manner  in  which  the  law  exemplifies  itself  upon  the 
spiritual  planes  of  life. 

To  accomplish  this  result  repetition,  to  some  extent,  is  un- 
avoidable. The  importance  of  the  subject,  however,  is  such 
as  to  clearly  justify  whatever  restatement  of  data  may  be- 
come necessary  in  this  connection. 

It  is  not  the  province  of  science  to  speculate  nor  dogma- 
tize concerning  ultimates.  Natural  Science  does  not  claim  nor 
assume  to  have  solved  the  great  problem  of  the  soul's  ultimate 
destiny.  So  far  as  it  has  gone,  however,  in  its  accumulation 
of  scientific  data  bearing  upon  this  subject,  there  appear  to  be 
three  distinct  psychological  states  of  being  that  are  suggestive 
of  ultimate  evolutionary  possibilities.  These  may  be  dimly 
suggested  by  the  terms,  "good,  indifferent  and  bad;"  or  by 
''improvement,  uncertainty  and  degeneracy ;"  or  by  "progress, 
stagnation  and  retrogression." 

In  the  first  and  highest  of  these  three  states  the  individual 
has  reached  an  evolutionary  altitude  where  truth  for  its  own 
sake  is  more  attractive  to  him  than  falsehood  with  all  its  al- 
luring promises  of  selfish  advantage.  Light  is  more  attractive 
to  him  than  darkness.  It  is  more  agreeable  and  pleasant  to 
do  right  for  the  sake  of  principle  than  to  do  wrong  for  selfish 
gain.  It  is  easier  to  rise  to  higher  levels  of  life  and  action  than 
sink  to  lower  planes  of  existence.  In  this  state  reason  has 
finally  triumphed  over  all  the  debasing  influences  of  the  appe- 
tites, passions,  emotions,  impulses  and  desires.  Harmony  and 
co-operation  are  established  between  the  self-consciousness, 
reason,  independent  choice  and  volition  of  man,  and  the  self- 
control  for  which  he  has  striven  is  now  an  established  fact. 
He  is  liberated  from  all  the  forces,  activities  and  processes  of 
Nature,  both*  within  and  without,  which  would  enslave  the 
soul.  He  is  emancipated  from  all  subjective  conditions  and 
processes  and  all  the  predominating  tendencies  of  the  soul  set 
toward  light  and  life  and  the  attainment  of  Individual  Immor- 
tality. 

The  line  which  marks  the  level  of  this  evolutionary  devel- 


332       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

opment  and  individual  triumph  may  well  be  known  as  "The 
Line  of  Victory."  It  marks  the  plane  of  the  greatest  victory 
of  individual  life,  the  final  victory  over  self  in  the  achievement 
of  individual  self-control. 

The  second  or  middle  psychological  state  of  being  lies  im- 
mediately below  the  first.  It  is  the  battle  ground  of  individual 
life.  It  is  here  that  every  individual  intelligence  must  fight  the 
crucial  battle  of  self.  Here  it  is  that  he  is  subject  to  the  active 
play  of  all  the  opposing  and  contending  forces  of  Nature. 

His  intelligence,  reason,  intuitions  and  aspirations  all  exert 
their  buoyant  effect  upon  his  life  and  tend  to  lift  him  upward 
into  the  light  of  a  higher  knowledge  and  a  higher  life.  His 
evil  appetites,  passions,  emotions,  impulses  and  desires  all  tend 
to  drag  him  downward. 

His  environment  and  associations  exert  the  same  double 
influence  upon  him.  Those  who  are  above  him  in  point  of 
knowledge,  development  and  power  give  him  courage  and 
hope  and  inspiration  to  rise  with  them  into  the  light.  Those 
who  are  yet  below  him  exert  their  influence  with  equal  persist- 
ence to  drag  him  downward  to  their  level  and  into  the  dark- 
ness. 

And  so  it  is  that  here  in  this  middle  ground  his  intelli- 
gence, reason,  conscience,  intuitions  and  aspirations  and  all  the 
powers  of  light  are  pitted  against  the  evil  tendencies  of  his 
individual  nature  and  all  the  powers  of  darkness.  This,  there- 
fore, is  the  realm  of  vacillation,  and  uncertainty.  Today  the 
soul  sets  toward  the  light.  Tomorrow  it  seeks  the  world  of 
darkness.  Today  the  good  triumphs.  Tomorrow  the  evil 
tendencies  predominate.  The  ultimate  issue  is  yet  undeter- 
mined. The  soul  is  being  weighed  in  the  balance. 

This  is  the  psychological  state  of  evolutionary  develop- 
ment where  and  in  which  future  possibilities  are  determined. 

In  this  middle  state  the  spiritual  gravity  of  die  individual 
is  naturally  downward,  except  for  the  power  he  possesses  to 
lift  himself  by  his  own  efforts.  The  following  analogy  will 
serve  to  make  this  condition  more  clearly  understood : 

For  instance:  The  weight  of  an  eagle's  body  is  many 
times  greater  than  that  of  the  air  in  which  it  flies.  It  there- 


THE  LINE  OF  DESPAIR 333 

fore  naturally  gravitates  toward  the  earth.  Under  the  law  of 
its  gravity,  if  left  alone,  it  would  fall  to  the  ground  never  to 
rise  again.  But  this  monarch  of  the  air  has  the  power  within 
itself  and  of  its  own  right  to  overcome  the  force  of  gravity 
and  rise  at  will  to  realms  beyond  the  clouds  and  the  shadows 
of  earth  into  the  clear  sunlight  of  heaven. 

Thus  it  is  with  man  in  this  second  psychological  state  or 
condition.  When  left  alone  to  the  mercy  of  the  elements  and 
the  play  of  Nature's  forces  his  spiritual  gravity  carries  him 
downward  toward  the  realms  of  darkness  and  death.  But 
he  has  within  himself  and  of  his  own  right  the  power  to  over- 
come the  downward  tendencies  of  his  spiritual  gravity  and 
rise  at  will  into  the  realms  of  light  and  life  and  Individual  Im- 
mortality. 

It  is  but  a  question  of  whether  he  will  or  not.  As  it  is 
with  the  eagle  so  it  is  with  man  himself.  If  he  would  rise  and 
soar  above  the  shadowland  of  earth  he  must  do  so  by  the  self- 
control  and  exercise  of  those  individual  faculties,  capacities 
and  powers  of  the  soul  through  which  he  is  enabled  to  dis- 
charge his  individual  responsibility  and  at  the  same  time  earn 
Nature's  reward  therefor,  which  is  Individual  Immortality. 
From  the  standpoint  of  science  it  would  appear  that  these  are 
the  wings  which  God  or  Nature  has  given  him  with  which  to 
rise  in  triumph  above  all  the  opposing  forces  of  Nature. 

At  the  lower  level  of  this  second  or  middle  psychological 
state  of  man  runs  another  line,  a  fixed  and  immutable  line  of 
Nature.  From  its  portentous  and  appalling  significance  the 
Masters  of  Natural  Science  have  aptly  named  it  "The  Line  of 
Despair." 

Below  the  level  of  this  line  of  psychic  condition  lies  the 
realm  of  spiritual  darkness  and  spiritual  death.  Those  who  in 
their  downward  flight  cross  this  line  "leave  hope  behind." 
This  is  the  bourne  whence  neither  man  nor  woman  ever  re- 
turns. This  line  of  despair  marks  the  level  at  which  the  De- 
structive Principle  of  Nature  in  Individual  Life  becomes 
triumphant.  It  marks  that  point  in  the  devolution  of  man- 
kind where  all  the  elements  of  individual  being,  spiritual,  men- 
tal and  moral,  set  toward  darkness  and  death. 


334:       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

Let  it  be  remembered  that  so  long  as  there  remains  one  as- 
piration for  good,  one  desire  for  light,  one  cry  of  conscience, 
one  prayer  for  help,  Nature  responds  and  sends  her  messen- 
gers. But  when  man  in  his  downward  flight  crosses  this  Line 
of  Despair  he  passes  beyond  the  reach  of  those  who  would 
or  could  help  him  to  rise  again.  Those  attributes  of  the  soul 
which  distinguish  him  from  the  animal  no  longer  respond  to 
the  power  of  will.  At  the  crossing  of  this  line,  therefore,  he 
sinks  to  the  level  of  animal  nature.  Like  the  animal  he  lives 
for  a  time  in  this  world  of  progressive  degeneracy  and  then 
goes  down  to  spiritual  death. 

What  the  scientific  significance  of  this  second  or  spiritual 
death  may  be  is,  as  yet,  the  great  unsolved  problem  of  Nature. 
So  far  as  science  knows,  this  means  the  death  of  the  soul,  or 
total  individual  extinction  and  a  resolution  of  the  individual 
entity  in  all  its  essential  nature  back  into  the  elements  from 
which  it  came.  And 

THIS  is  "HELL." 


THE  LAW  OF  SPIRITUAL  GRAVITY         335 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  LAW  OF  SPIRITUAL  GRAVITY. 

The  Law  of  Spiritual  Gravity  is  Nature's  gravimeter  by 
which  to  try  and  determine  the  evolutionary  status  of  the  souls 
of  men  and  women  in  this  life  as  well  as  in  the  life  to  come. 

It  is  therefore  in  essence  a  psychic  law.  Inasmuch,  how- 
ever, as  it  manifests  itself  upon  the  spiritual  planes  of  life  in 
terms  of  spiritual  conditions  according  to  the  status  of  the 
spiritual  body,  it  has  come  to  be  known  as  the  Law  of  Spirit- 
ual Gravity.  For  the  sake  of  simplicity  and  to  avoid  confusion 
it  will  be  so  designated  in  this  work. 

Under  and  by  virtue  of  this  Law  of  Spiritual  Gravity  each 
one  of  us  at  physical  death  either  rises  or  sinks — as  the  case 
may  be — to  a  level  of  spiritual  life  and  evolution  exactly  com- 
mensurate with  his  life  and  development,  immediately  prior 
thereto. 

That  is  to  say,  in  our  essential  being  the  transition  called 
death  does  not  affect  us.  We  are  neither  essentially  wiser  nor 
essentially  better  upon  our  entry  into  that  life  than  we  are 
upon  our  exit  from  this,  save  and  except  in  just  so  far  as  the 
experience  of  making  the  transit  itself  is  concerned. 

In  just  so  far  as  we  have  been  subjects  of  or  slaves  to  our 
evil  appetites,  passions,  desires  and  propensities  here  we  re- 
main so  there  until  by  the  power  of  self-control  we  lift  our- 
selves above  them  to  higher  levels  of  spiritual  life.  In  so 
far  as  we  have  been  subjects  of  hypnotism  and  mediumship 
here  we  remain  so  there  until  we  are  liberated  through  the 
development  of  the  latent  power  of  self-control. 

Thus,  under  the  operation  of  the  Law  of  Spiritual  Gravity 
this  physical  life  is  fraught  with  momentous  significance  and 
unlimited  possibilities.  It  is,  in  fact,  the  training  ground  from 
which  we  pass  to  a  higher  conflict.  The  life  we  live  here  de- 
termines the  level  to  which  we  gravitate  there. 

We  may,  if  we  will,  so  avail  ourselves  of  the  opportunities 
of  this  life  as  to  lift  the  soul  at  physical  death  above  the  Line 
of  Victory  into  the  realms  of  light  and  life  and  Individual  Im- 


336       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

mortality.  Or,  we  may  by  our  indifference  to  the  possibilities 
of  another  life  develop  a  Spiritual  Gravity  which  at  physical 
death  will  carry  us  into  that  great  middle  psychological  state 
which  lies  below  the  Line  of  Victory  and  above  the  Line  of 
Despair,  but  still  within  the  midst  of  the  great  battle  of  life. 

In  like  manner,  by  complete  surrender  to  the  destructive 
power  of  our  evil  appetites,  passions,  desires,  impulses,  emo- 
tions and  propensities,  or  by  the  deliberate  and  intentional 
abuse  of  the  knowledge  we  possess  and  the  forces  we  command 
we  may  destroy  the  powers  by  which  it  is  possible  or  us  to  as- 
cend the  scale  of  evolutionary  development.  By  the  intentional 
abuse  of  knowledge  and  the  deliberate  misuse  of  power  we  may 
establish  a  Spiritual  Gravity  which  at  physical  death  will  carry 
us  at  once  below  the  level  of  the  Line  of  Despair  into  the 
realm  of  spiritual  darkness  and  spiritual  death. 

These  are  not  the  poetic  imaginings  of  a  Dante  nor  a  Mil- 
ton. They  are  not  the  charming  mysticism  of  a  Balzac  nor  a 
Corelli.  They  are  not  the  metaphysical  misconceptions  of  any 
creed  or  religion.  On  the  other  hand,  they  are  the  deter- 
mined results  of  a  definite  science. 

The  thoughtful  student  will  not  fail  to  note  the  fact  that  the 
Catholic  doctrine  and  dogma  of  Hell,  Purgatory  and  Paradise, 
is  not  entirely  without  foundation  in  the  Law  of  Spiritual 
Gravity.  It  is  evident  to  those  who  have  followed  the  history 
of  that  organization  that  the  dogmatists  of  that  church  have 
sensed  the  existence  of  this  great  law.  In  its  "Indulgences" 
and  "Absolutions,"  however,  it  violates  the  fundamental  law  of 
Nature  which  underlies  the  development  of  individual  life  and 
threby  entirely  nullifies  the  value  of  its  near  approach  to  this 
great  fundamental  truth. 

If  at  this  point  the  student  should  ask  concerning  the  effect 
of  the  Law  of  Spiritual  Gravity  upon  the  doctrine  of  reincar- 
nation, it  is  only  necessary  to  state : 

1.  The  subject  of  reincarnation  is  not  under  consideration 
in  this  work. 

2.  Even  if  it  were  an  established  fact,  it  could  not  in  the 
least  degree  mitigate  nor  modify  the  law  of  individual  life  here 
outlined.     The  Law  of  Spiritual  Gravity  has  been  scientifically 


THE  LAW  OF  SPIRITUAL  GRAVITY         337 

determined  as  far  as  it  is  possible  for  finite  intelligence  to  de- 
termine any  law,  and  to  whatever  extent  the  doctrine  of  rein- 
carnation or  any  other  doctrine  proves  to  be  true,  it  cannot 
conflict  with  an  established  law  of  Nature. 

Under  the  Law  of  Spiritual  Gravity  in  its  relation  to  the 
evolution  of  individual  intelligence,  Individual  Immortality 
is  an  achievement  of  the  Soul  and  not  an  arbitrary  imposition 
of  God  or  Nature  upon  all  mankind  without  regard  to  indi- 
vidual choice.  It  is  a  reward  guaranteed  by  Nature  to  each 
individual  man  and  woman  for  the  right  application  of  ac- 
quired knowledge  and  the  right  use  of  developed  powers. 

In  its  evolutionary  ascent  under  the  paternal  dominion 
and  guidance  of  God,  or  Nature,  or  Universal  Intelligence 
(whichever  term  may  best  express  the  intelligence  which  mani- 
fests itself  in  all  the  forces,  activities  and  processes  of  Nature) 
the  individualized,  intelligent  entity  reaches  its  "majority,"  so 
to  speak,  at  the  estate  of  man. 

At  this  evolutionary  point  the  Great  Intelligence  invests  the 
individual  entity  with  the  soul  attributes  of  Self-Conscious- 
ness, Reason,  Independent  Choice,  and  an  independent,  self- 
conscious  and  rational  Volition  necessary  to  its  self-preserva- 
tion and  independent  action ;  then  severs  the  tie  which  makes 
it  a  "Child  of  Nature"  and  emancipates  it  from  all  paternal 
t  dominion  and  control. 

The  individual,  by  virtue  of  the  Soul  attributes  with  which 
he  is  thus  invested,  comes  to  his  "majority"  with  a  full  and 
complete  understanding  and  recognition  of  his  emancipation 
from  paternal  authority,  and  voluntarily  assumes  the  duties, 
obligations  and  responsibilities  which  his  freedom  imposes. 
This  is  why  he  calls  himself  a  "free  moral  agent"  and  a  "re- 
sponsible individual  intelligence." 

The  young  man  who  reaches  the  period  of  his  majority 
under  the  civil  law  thereby,  without  further  act,  process  or 
formality,  becomes  an  independent  citizen  of  the  state.  He 
attains  this  status  by  the  simple  processes  of  Nature  over 
which  he  has  no  control  whatever.  And  yet,  he  knows  that 
from  the  moment  or  the  instant  he  reaches  this  point  in  the 


338       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

process  of  his  individual  unfoldment  he  occupies  a  wholly  dif- 
ferent position  before  the  law. 

He  can  no  longer  demand  nor  claim  paternal  protection. 
Neither  is  he  bound  by  filial  obligations  and  responsibilities, 
save  and  except  such  as  he  voluntarily  assumes.  He  is  now  a 
responsible  individual  intelligence  before  the  law.  He  is  a 
citizen  of  the  state,  with  all  the  rights,  privileges,  duties,  ob- 
ligations and  responsibilities  which  are  the  natural  concomi- 
tants of  such  a  citizenship.  He  occupies  a  status  quite  differ- 
ent from  that  prior  to  his  majority.  During  his  minority  he 
had  neither  rights,  privileges,  duties,  obligations  nor  respon- 
sibilities, save  such  as  were  his  by  virtue  of  his  infancy. 

So  it  appears  that  under  the  evolutionary  process  the  in- 
dividual entity,  without  further  act,  process  or  formality, 
reaches  its  majority  at  the  estate  of  man.  From  the  instant 
he  emerges  from  the  infancy  of  animal  nature  into  the  estate 
of  man  he  can  no  longer  hold  Nature  of  the  Great  Intelligence 
responsible  for  his  own  individual  life  or  conduct.  He  can 
no  longer  demand  or  claim  paternal  protection  as  an  inalien- 
able right,  save  and  except  as  he  earns  it.  He  is  no  longer 
bound  by  filial  duties,  obligations  or  responsibilities,  save  such 
as  he  voluntarily  assumes. 

But  he  is  now  a  citizen  of  the  great  world,  entitled  to  all 
the  rights  and  privileges  and  bound  by  all  the  duties,  obliga- 
tions and  responsibilities  which  are  the  natural  concomitants 
of  such  a  citizenship.  He  is  therefore  still  within  the  juris- 
diction of  both  law  and  order. 

But  like  the  citizen  of  the  state,  he  may  either  obey  the 
law  or  violate  it  at  will.  Neither  God  nor  Nature  assumes  to 
compel  obedience  to  nor  prevent  violations  of  the  law.  This 
is  a  matter  which  the  individual  alone  must  determine.  Na- 
ture assumes  only  to  reward  obedience  to  and  punish  violations 
and  infractions  of  her  laws. 

If  by  his  own  free  will  and  independent  choice  he  elects 
to  acknowledge  and  respect  the  majesty  of  the  law  he  thereby 
earns  the  rewards  and  benefits  which  the  law  guarantees.  If, 
on  the  other  hand,  he  elects  to  violate  or  disregard  the  duties 


THE  LAW  OF  SPIRITUAL  GRAVITY         339 

and  obligations  which  the  law  imposes  he  must  suffer  the  in- 
evitable penalties  which  the  law  prescribes  therefor. 

But  in  the  realm  of  this  higher  citizenship  of  the  Soul 
there  is  but  one  law,  the  great  Law  of  Justice. 

By  obedience  to  this  law  we  discharge  our  individual  re- 
sponsibility and  thereby  earn  Nature's  reward  therefor,  which 
is  Individual  Immortality.  And  this,  to  us,  is  Compensatory 
Justice. 

By  our  violation  of  this  same  great  law  we  incur  the  pen- 
alty which  Nature  prescribes  therefor,  which,  according  to  the 
terminology  of  Natural  Science,  is  Spiritual  Death,  the  Second 
Death,  or  total  Individual  Extinction.  And  this,  to  us,  is 
Retributive  Justice. 

Thus,  in  its  final  analysis  the  Law  of  Justice,  as  it  is  known 
and  exemplified  in  the  realm  of  the  soul's  citizenship,  is  the 
law  of  individual  Life  and  Death.  Under  the  operation  of 
this  law  the  right  of  individual  and  independent  choice  is  an 
inalienable  and  inviolable  right  of  every  individual  man  and 
woman. 

In  accordance  therewith  man  is,  in  the  most  exact  and  lit- 
eral sense,  the  arbiter  of  his  own  destiny.  He  goes  to  that 
destiny,  whether  it  be  in  the  realm  of  light  and  life  and  Im- 
mortality, or  in  that  of  darkness,  disintegration  and  Death, 
because  he  and  he  alone  has  so  elected.  And  this  is  the  scien- 
tific "Doctrine  of  Election." 

A  more  comprehensive  understanding  of  the  Law  of  Spir- 
itual Gravity  may  be  obtained  by  noting  the  interesting  manner 
in  which  it  exemplifies  itself  in  the  daily  lives  of  men  and  wo- 
men upon  the  plane  of  this  present  physical  life. 

Humanity  everywhere,  in  a  large  and  general  sense,  groups 
itself  in  accordance  with  this  law. 

For  illustration,  men  whose  lives  are  dominated  by  politi- 
cal ambitions,  political  motives  or  political  interests,  in  gen- 
eral, are  drawn  together  by  this  same  Law  of  Spiritual  Grav- 
ity and  they  form  themselves  into  political  clubs.  They  nat- 
urally gravitate  to  the  common  level  of  "politics." 

Men  and  women  who  are  attracted  by  the  same  ethical  or 
religious  creeds,  principles  and  purposes  gravitate  together  by 


34:0       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

virtue  of  the  same  law  and  form  themselves  into  churches  or 
societies.  They  meet  upon  the  common  level  of  the  creed  or 
ethical  standard  they  adopt  and  the  work  in  which  they  en- 
gage. 

Men  and  women  whose  lives  are  dominated  by  the  glitter 
and  the  license  of  wealth  are  drawn  together  by  the  common 
bonds  of  estheticism,  vanity  and  licentiousness  and  form 
themselves  into  exclusive  social  sets.  Under  the  operation  of 
the  same  law  they  gravitate  to  the  so-called  fashionable  sec- 
tions of  all  the  great  cities  of  the  world.  Here  they  build 
themselves  mansions  and  castles  and  surround  themselves  with 
all  the  beauty,  luxury  and  license  that  wealth  can  buy. 

Men  and  women  w'ho  are  ruled  by  the  lusts  of  the  flesh, 
but  without  the  wealth  to  purchase  social  and  legal  amenities, 
gravitate  together  upon  the  common  level  of  the  brothel  and 
the  house  of  prostitution.  By  the  same  law  they  are  found 
grouped  together  in  the  slums  of  all  the  great  cities.  In  rec- 
ognition of  the  moral  and  spiritual  level  to  which  they  natur- 
ally gravitate  the  women  of  this  class  have  come  to  be  known 
with  singular  significance  as  the  "demi  monde,"  or  the  under 
world  of  society. 

And  so  it  is  with  those  who  are  moved  to  action  by  the 
nobler  inspirations  of  life. 

The  Salvation  Army,  than  which  perhaps  no  single  agency 
has  accomplished  greater  good  in  its  chosen  field  of  labor,  is 
drawn  together  by  the  same  general  law  and  does  its  work 
upon  the  common  level  of  the  public  street. 

It  may  be  incidentally  remarked  in  passing  that  the  work 
of  these  earnest  enthusiasts  is  effective  because  of  their  ability 
to  carry  their  active  sympathies  with  them  down  to  the  spir- 
itual as  well  as  the  physical  level  of  those  whose  emancipation 
constitutes  the  burden  of  their  common  labors.  This  is  be- 
cause they  themselves  have  come  up  out  of  the  same  condi- 
tions and  therefore  fully  understand  them. 

Thus  the  Law  of  Spiritual  Gravity  obtains  upon  all  the 
planes  and  in  all  the  conditions  of  life  both  here  and  here- 
after, as  far  as  it  has  been  possible  to  follow  its  operations. 


THE  LAW  OF  SPIRITUAL  GRAVITY        341 

It  exemplifies  itself  m  all  the  departments  of  Nature  and  upon 
all  the  levds  of  individual  life,  so  far  as  we  know  them. 

With  this  primary  and  vital  law  of  Nature,  therefore, 
clearly  in  mind  it  is  now  possible  for  us  to  pass  at  once  to 
an  intelligent  consideration  of  the  post  mortem  effects  of  hyp- 
notism and  mediumship  upon  both  the  subject  and  the  opera- 
tor. 

The  law  which  binds  a  physically  disembodied  subject  of 
hypnotism  to  its  physically  embodied  hypnotist  has  been  suffi- 
ciently considered  in  Part  I  of  this  volume.  It  now  remains 
to  note  the  results  after  the  hypnotist  also  shall  have  passed 
through  the  gates  of  physical  death  and  shall  once  more  stand 
consciously  face  to  face  with  his  subjects  upon  the  planes  of 
spiritual  life.  Then  it  is  that  he  obtains,  perhaps,  his  first 
comprehensive  understanding  of  the  fundamental  Law  of 
Justice  in  its  twofold  aspect  of  Compensation  and  Retribution. 

Under  the  Compensatory  side  of  this  law  every  unselfish 
act  done  in  behalf  of  one's  fellow  man  brings  to  the  benefactor 
a  definite  soul  reward.  It  lightens  the  Gravity  of  the  Spirit 
and  permits  the  Soul  to  rise  in  obedience  to  the  law  of  its  es- 
sential being  to  realms  of  greater  light  and  fuller  life. 

Under  the  Retributive  side  of  this  same  law  every  act  of 
this  life  or  the  life  to  come,  so  far  as  we  know,  which  pur- 
posely deprives  a  fellow  man  of  that  which  of  right  is  his 
brings  to  the  wrongdoer  a  definite  soul  retribution.  It  in- 
creases and  intensifies  his  Spiritual  Gravity  and  in  obedience 
to  the  law  of  his  essential  being  he  sinks  toward  the  realm  of 
darkness  and  spiritual  death. 

Under  its  Compensatory  side  every  unselfish  act  which 
brings  comfort,  aid,  joy,  happiness  or  good  to  another  carries 
with  it  the  obligation  upon  the  one  so  receiving  to  give  in 
equal  measure  to  those  who  need. 

Under  its  Retributive  side  every  act  of  this  life  or  of  the 
life  to  come,  so  far  as  known,  which  purposely  deprives  a  fel- 
low man  of  that  which  of  right  is  his  thereby  fixes  upon  the 
wrongdoer  the  individual  responsibility  of  righting  the  wrong 
himself  if  it  be  within  his  power,  otherwise  of  rendering  an 
equivalent  service  to  those  who  need  that  which  he  can  give. 


342      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

Under  the  twofold  aspect  and  operation  of  this  great  law 
the  individual  who  knowingly  and  intentionally  surrenders 
an  inalienable  right  of  the  soul  can  never  entirely  recover  it 
by  his  own  individual  effort  alone.  He  must  seek  for  and  ob- 
tain the  help  of  those  who  are  able  to  give  that  which  by  such 
a  surrender  he  has  permitted  to  pass  beyond  the  limits  of  his 
own  individual  powers. 

When  the  hypnotist,  therefore,  emerges  from  the  valley  of 
the  shadow  of  death  freed  from  the  encumbrance  of  a  physi- 
cal body  he  realizes  that  the  demands  of  his  subjects  have 
long  since  matured.  He  finds  those  whose  inalienable  rights 
he  has  sequestered  (and  who  have  not  yet  been  able  by  the 
help  of  others  to  regain  them)  awaiting  his  coming. 

Their  demands,  being  duly  presented  and  verified  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  "Statutes  of  Nature,"  are  scheduled  in  the 
inventory  of  his  fixed  liabilities.  Not  only  this,  every  such 
demand  is  a  "preferred  claim"  under  the  law  of  its  creation. 
It  is  therefore  not  subject  to  "discount."  It  cannot  be  com- 
promised nor  "prorated."  It  must  be  paid  "in  full." 

The  hypnotist,  therefore,  finds  himself  a  spiritual  mendi- 
cant, a  pauper,  a  defaulting  debtor.  He  is  an  insolvent,  a 
bankrupt,  without  the  benefit  or  advantage  of  an  insolvency 
or  bankrupt  law  or  proceeding  under  which  to  relieve  himself 
by  scaling  his  liabilities.  What,  then,  can  he  do? 

There  is  but  one  alternative.  He  must  either  repudiate 
his  liabilities  and  suffer  the  penalties  which  the  law  prescribes, 
or  he  must  throw  himself  upon  the  mercy  of  the  court  and 
ask  for  time  and  opportunity  to  "work  them  out." 

Fortunately,  Nature  is  never  impatient  with  those  who  hon- 
estly and  humbly  seek  to  discharge  their  just  liabilities  under 
her  laws.  She  never  demands  more  from  her  citizens  than 
they  are  able  to  perform.  To  the  hypnotist,  therefore,  she 
would  seem  to  say :  "These  are  your  obligations.  You  alone 
are  responsible  for  their  creation.  You,  therefore,  must  liqui- 
date them.  While  it  may  not  be  possible  for  you  to  meet 
them  all  at  once,  you  can  at  least  begin  now.  If  you  in  good 
faith  honor  the  law's  demands  you  shall  have  whatever  time 
the  full  limit  of  your  abilities  may  require  to  make  restitu- 


THE  LAW  OF  SPIRITUAL  GRAVITY         343 

tion.  Go,  therefore,  and  in  the  order  of  their  maturity  repay 
the  debts  you  owe.  By  your  individual  service  you  may  work 
them  out,  rendering  to  each  and  every  creditor  in  rightful  turn 
the  full  measure  of  his  just  demands." 

Thus  it  is  that  under  the  Law  of  Retributive  Justice  the 
man  who  enslaves  the  souls  of  his  felow  men,  by  the  same  act 
forges  about  his  own  neck  the  iron  collar  of  servitude.  In 
the  realm  of  the  soul  the  tyrant  master  becomes  the  slave  of 
his  own  tyranny.  Nor  can  he  escape  from  this  self-imposed 
bondage  save  by  the  narrow  and  steep  pathway  of  servitude. 
He  cannot  claim  emancipation  for  himself  until  the  Law  of 
Retributive  Justice  is  fully  satisfied. 

A  leading  hypnotist  of  this  country  is  reported  to  have  re- 
cently fixed  the  number  of  his  subjects  at  something  like  two 
thousand.  He  thus  confesses  judgment  in  advance  in  favor 
of  each  and  every  one  of  these  individuals  when  he  shall  stand 
with  them  upon  the  common  level  of  spiritual  life.  To  what- 
ever extent  he  has  deprived  each  one  of  these  two  thousand 
subjects  of  the  inalienable  right  and  power  of  self-control  to 
that  extent  he  has  irrevocably  fixed  upon  himself  the  burden 
of  retribution.  In  the  same  measure  he  has  invoked  upon 
himself  the  operation  of  the  Law  of  Spiritual  Gravity.  Un- 
der its  immutable  provisions  he  must  sink  to  the  level  of  the 
law's  demands. 

Precisely  the  same  law  governs  the  relation  of  the  spiritual 
control  to  its  medium.  The  spiritual  intelligence  who  de- 
prives a  medium  of  the  power  of  self-control  thereby,  to  the 
same  extent,  forges  the  chains  of  servitude  upon  himself.  In 
obedience  to  the  same  law  he  must  repair  the  injury  thus 
wrought,  if  it  be  within  his  power,  and  if  not,  then  he  must 
render  an  equivalent  service  to  those  who  need  the  help  which 
he  can  give.  There  is  absolutely  no  escape  if  he  would  rise 
to  higher  levels  of  life  and  achievement  upon  the  spiritual 
planes. 

The  following,  within  the  personal  knowledge  of  the  writer, 
will  serve  to  more  fully  illustrate  the  meaning  and  the  prac- 
tical application  and  operation  of  the  law: 

Some  years  ago  one  of  the  leading  physicians  and  sur- 


344      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

geons  of  the  middle  west  died.  If  his  name  were  here  men- 
tioned there  are  still  many  of  his  old-time  friends  in  the  flesh 
who  would  be  glad  to  acknowledge  their  indebtedness  to  his 
kindness  and  medical  and  surgical  skill.  A  few  months  after 
his  death  a  lady,  who  during  his  lifetime  had  been  one  of  his 
patients,  was  visiting  at  the  home  of  a  friend  who  had  become 
somewhat  interested  in  the  planchette.  Out  of  curiosity  and 
partly  in  reply  to  a  banter  from  her  friend  she  put  her  hand 
upon  the  instrument.  To  her  great  astonishment  it  imme- 
diately spelled  out  the  name  of  the  eminent  physician. 

Naturally  this  initial  experience  led  to  further  experimenta- 
tion, and  in  a  short  time  messages  of  undoubted  authenticity 
were  received  from  the  doctor  to  various  friends  and  relatives 
whom  he  had  left  behind.  This  was  followed  by  the  organiza- 
tion of  a  "developing  circle"  at  which  the  lady  was  soon  de- 
veloped as  a  trance  speaking  medium  with  the  eminent  doctor 
as  her  chief  control. 

Things  moved  along  smoothly  for  some  time  until  a  great 
many  of  the  doctor's  former  friends  and  associates  became 
deeply  interested  in  the  developments.  But  in  course  of 
time,  as  it  so  often  transpires,  evil  intelligences  forced  them- 
selves into  the  environment. 

The  doctor  then,  for  the  first  time,  appeared  to  realize  his 
mistake,  He  found,  to  his  unspeakable  horror  and  regret, 
that  he  had  opened  the  door  of  control  to  the  entire  spiritual 
world,  or  to  as  many  of  that  world  as  chose  to  exercise  their 
power  to  that  end.  He  then  saw  and  understood  the  destruc- 
tive nature  of  the  process  employed.  He  was  forced  to  ob- 
serve that  it  was  not  only  sapping  her  physical  vitality,  but 
that  she  was  being  psychically  destroyed  as  well. 

Recognizing  his  own  responsibility  in  the  matter,  and  be- 
ing a  man  of  the  keenest  sense  of  justice,  he  undertook  the 
task  of  protecting  her  from  the  domination  of  these  vicious  in- 
fluences until  such  time  as  she  could  be  educated  in  the  power 
of  self-control  beyond  the  range  of  their  malevolent  influence. 
This  task  of  education  and  reinvestment  has  thus  far  proved 
to  be  beyond  the  limits  of  the  good  doctor's  powers.  His 
subject  is  still  a  tractable  instrument  to  whatever  spiritual  in- 


THE  LAW  OF  SPIRITUAL  GRAVITY        345 

telligences  desire  to  control  her.  The  eminent  doctor,  there- 
fore, is  now  obliged  to  devote  all  his  time  and  effort  to  her 
protection.  Although  he  has  learned  the  destructive  char- 
acter of  the  mediumistic  process,  it  nevertheless  often  occurs 
that  the  only  method  by  which  he  can  prevent  her  from  falling 
under  the  control  of  the  most  vicious  and  dangerous  spir- 
itual intelligences,  is  to  control  her  himself.  Although  he  has 
now  learned  that  every  time  he  controls  her  he  violates  the  very 
fundamental  law  of  her  being,  nevertheless  he  is  placed  in  the 
unhappy  position  of  being  compelled  to  choose  between  two 
evils. 

At  the  present  time  this  innocent  victim  of  mediumislic 
control  would  be  pronounced  by  all  regular  physicians  who  do 
not  understand  the  nature  of  her  case  to  be  a  fit.  subject  for 
the  insane  asylum.  She  would  undoubtedly  be  sent  to  such 
an  institution  if  it  were  not  for  the  fact  that  the  members  of 
her  own  household  understand,  in  some  measure,  the  real  cause 
of  her  condition. 

While  it  is  not  at  all  likely,  under  all  the  circumstances, 
that  she  will  live  but  a  few  years  or  possibly  months  more, 
yet  however  long  her  physical  life  may  be  prolonged,  the 
doctor  is  bound  to  a  most  humiliating  servitude  from  which 
there  is  no  escape  under  the  law  of  individual  responsibility. 
But  this  is  not  all.  When  she  also  shall  have  crossed  the 
troubled  waters,  he  must  still  protect  her  and  educate  her 
and  aid  her  until  she  is  once  more  invested  with  the  power  of 
self-control. 

Many  pertinent  questions  are  likely  to  present  themselves 
to  the  mind  of  the  student  in  this  connection. 

For  instance:  Did  the  learned  doctor  understand  the  law 
and  its  penalties  at  the  time  he  first  controlled  this  medium? 
Why  did  he  control  her  at  all?  Do  these  evil  spirits  who  are 
always  ready  to  rush  in  wherever  the  door  is  opened  under- 
stand the  law?  Do  they  know  that  by  this  same  process  they 
not  only  destroy  the  medium  but  at  the  same  time  bind  them- 
selves to  further  servitude?  Do  they  know  the  effect  this  has 
upon  their  Spiritual  Gravity?  If  so,  why  do  they  do  it? 
etc.,  etc. 


346       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

Briefly  answering  these  questions: 

1.  The  doctor  in  this  particular  instance  did  not  fully  un- 
derstand the  nature  or  results  of  the  mediumistic  process  at 
the  beginning  of  his  experiment.     Had  he  known  that  it  was 
destructive  in  its  effects,  there  is  every  reason  for  believing 
from  his  known  reputation  for  honesty  and  morality,  that  he 
never  would  have  entered  into  the  relation.     His  ignorance  of 
the  law,  however,  could  not  in  the  least  mitigate  its  results 
in  so  far  as  the  medium  herself  is  concerned.     Fire  burns  just 
the  same  whether  one  falls  into  it  by  accident  or  is  thrust  into 
it  by  design.     The  effects  upon  the  doctor  himself,  however, 
present  quite  another  question.     The  lack  of  evil  intent  would 
be  in  his  favor  and  would  somewhat  modify  the  results. 

2.  His   desire  to  communicate   with   his    friends   in   the 
flesh  was  doubtless  very  strong.     It  would  seem  that  this  is 
equally  true  of  the  very  large  majority  of  those  who  pass  to 
that  life.     Nor  should  we  be  surprised  that  this  is  so  when 
we  remember  how  strong  is  our  own  desire  to  hear  from  those 
who  have  gone  before  us  into  that  country.     This  simple  de- 
sire to  keep  in  touch  with  his  former  friends  and  relatives  was 
doubtless  the  motive  which  prompted  him  to  seek  that  method 
of  communication.     Nor  can  we  find  aught  in  such  a  motive 
to  condemn.     In  this  instance  nothing  but  the  process  em- 
ployed is  subject  to  condemnation. 

3.  Some  of  these  evil  spirits  understand  the  law  very  fully 
while  others  do  not. 

4.  Those  who  have  been  in  that  life  long  enough  to  have 
learned  the  law,  fully  understand  its  effects  upon  themselves 
and  the  obligations  they  assume  thereunder. 

5.  They  defy  the  law,  however,  and  invoke  its  penalties 
for  the  same  reasons  that  men  in  the  flesh  do  the  same  thing. 
To  an  inhabitant  of  another  planet  where  knowledge  is  never 
abused    (if   there  be   any    such)    it    would   doubtless   appear 
strange  that  men  will  deliberately  go  on  drinking  liquor  to  ex- 
cess when  they  know  full  well  that    it    is  only  killing  them. 
To  one  who  has  never  experienced  the  effects  of  morphine, 
opium  or  cocaine  it  might  also  appear  strange  that  any  intelli- 
gent individual  would  ever  become  addicted  to  their  use.     But 


THE  LAW  OF  SPIRITUAL  GRAVITY         347 

these  are  phenomena  witli  which  we  are  all  so  familiar  that 
we  think  but  little  or  nothing  of  them.  And  yet,  they  fully 
explain  why  it  is  that  spiritual  intelligences  will  defy  the  laws 
of  their  being  even  though  death  be  the  result.  It  is  because 
in  the  gratification  of  selfish  ambitions  and  desires  men  often 
prefer  to  defy  the  law  and  suffer  its  penalties  rather  than 
obey  it  and  earn  its  rewards.  It  is  simply  a  matter  of  indi- 
vidual choice. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  the  power  of  independent 
choice  is  an  inalienable  right  of  the  soul.  It  is  as  absolute 
and  indefeasible  upon  the  spiritual  planes  as  it  is  upon  the 
physical.  Men  are  therefore  no  more  compelled  to  obey  the 
law  of  life  there  than  they  are  here.  It  is  there,  as  it  is  here, 
a  matter  of  individual  choice.  We  all  know  that  food  is  nec- 
essary to  sustain  physical  life.  Not  one  of  us,  however,  is 
compelled  to  take  it.  We  all  likewise  know  that  too  much 
food  is  almost  as  dangerous  to  physical  life  and  health  as  too 
little,  but  we  are  not  compelled  to  stop  eating  when  the  law 
of  health  has  been  complied  with.  These  are  matters  of  indi- 
vidual choice.  While  we  all  know  the  law  fully  and  under- 
stand the  exact  meaning  of  its  penalties,  we  are  nevertheless 
able  to  defy  it  if  we  so  elect.  But  we  cannot  evade  nor  avoid 
its  penalties. 

There  is,  however,  an  important  distinction  between  the 
.position  of  the  hypnotist  and  that  of  the  spiritual  control 
which  might  be  overlooked  if  attention  were  not  called  to  it 
in  this  connection. 

The  hypnotic  process  and  the  mediumistic  process  are  in 
essence  the  same  thing  as  far  as  they  go.  This  has  been  fully 
developed  in  a  previous  chapter.  But  it  must  be  remembered 
that  the  hypnotist  is  on  the  same  plane  with  his  subjects  while 
the  spiritual  control  is  not.  For  this  reason  the  hypnotist  has 
an  immense  advantage  in  point  of  facility.  He  is  therefore 
in  position  to  accomplish  vastly  more  harm  upon  the  physical 
plane  to  both  himself  and  others. 

For  instance :  One  professional  hypnotist  alone  who  is 
devoting  his  time  and  effort  to  his  profession  may,  perhaps, 
within  the  period  of  a  very  few  years  acomplish  the  complete 


348       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

subjection  and  control  of  a  thousand  different  subjects.  One 
spiritual  control,  however,  very  rarely  acomplishes  the  devel- 
opment of  more  than  a  dozen  mediums  within  the  period  of 
an  average  physical  lifetime.  After  a  medium  is  once  fully 
developed  and  the  condition  of  psychic  subjectivity  completely 
established  it  is  then  possible  for  a  thousand  spiritual  controls 
to  operate  successfully  through  the  one  instrument  during  a 
single  year. 

Thus,  a  single  hypnotist,  under  the  Law  of  Retributive 
Justice,  may  easily  bind  himself  in  the  bonds  of*  servitude  to 
a  thousand  subjects,  while  a  thousand  spiritual  controls  may  be 
able  to  divide  among  themselves  the  responsibility  for  the 
subjection  of  a  single  medium. 

From  this  view  of  the  subject  it  will  be  easily  understood 
and  appreciated  that  in  proportion  to  numbers  the  hypnotist 
is  by  far  the  more  dangerous  factor  in  society. 

It  is  also  true  that  under  the  Law  of  Retributive  Justice 
and  Spiritual  Gravity  he  is  also  the  greater  sufferer  in  exactly 
the  same  proportion  upon  the  spiritual  planes  of  life. 


ADMONITIONS  AND  SUGGESTIONS          349 

CHAPTER  IX. 

ADMONITIONS  AND  SUGGESTIONS. 

I. 
To  THE  HYPNOTIST. 

In  accordance  with  the  facts  discovered  and  the  principles 
demonstrated  Natural  Science  is  in  position  to  declare  with 
scientific  certainty,  and  does  so  declare: 

Hypnotism  is  a  subjective,  psychic  process. 

It  is  the  process  by  and  through  which  you  obtain,  hold 
and  exercise  control  of  the  will,  voluntary  powers  and  sen- 
sory organism  of  your  subjects. 

By  your  own  testimony,  as  well  as  that  of  every  honest 
hypnotist  who  has  ever  testified  upon  the  subject,  you  stand 
convicted  of  teaching  and  practicing  a  process  which  deprives 
your  subjects  of  the  inalienable  right  and  power  of  individual 
self-control. 

In  exact  proportion  as  you  establish  hypnotic  control  of 
your  subject's  will,  voluntary  powers  and  sensory  organism 
you  thereby  and  at  the  same  time  deprive  him  of  the  power  of 
self-controt 

In  proportion  as  you  deprive  him  of  the  power  of  self- 
control  you  thereby  and  at  the  same  time  deprive  him  of  that 
upon  which  his  individual  responsibility  and  moral  status 
depend. 

In  proportion  as  you  deprive  him  of  the  free  and  indepen- 
dent control  and  exercise  of  those  attributes  and  powers  of  the 
soul  upon  which  his  individual  responsibility  and  moral  status 
depend  you  thereby  and  at  the  same  time  rob  him  of  those 
powers  upon  which  he  must  depend  for  the  achievement  of 
Individual  Immortality. 

In  proportion  as  you  deprive  him  of  the  powers  upon  which 
he  must  depend  for  the  achievement  of  Individual  Immortality 
you  thereby  and  at  the  same  time  condemn  him  to  Spiritual 
Darkness,  Disintegration  and  Death. 

In  the  same  proportion  you,  by  the  same  act  and  at  the 


350       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

same  time,  invoke  upon  him  the  operation  of  the  Destructive 
Principle  of  Nature  in  Individual  Life. 

In  proportion  as  you  deprive  him  of  the  free  and  inde- 
pendent control  and  exercise  of  any  or  all  of  the  inalienable 
rights,  faculties,  capacities  and  powers  of  the  soul  you  thereby 
and  at  the  same  time  assume  individual  responsibility  under 
the  law  of  life  for  all  that  it  otherwise  holds  him  responsible. 

In  proportion  as  you  divest  him  of  the  free  and  independent 
exercise  of  his  own  independent,  self-conscious  and  rational 
volition  you  thereby  and  at  the  same  time  forge  upon  your 
own  soul  the  chains  of  spiritual  servitude  to  him,  under  the 
Law  of  Retributive  Justice. 

With  all  the  power,  authority  and  emphasis  of  universal 
language,  Nature  invests  the  individual  human  intelligence, 
ego,  soul  or  entity,  with  the  power  of  self-control  and  fixes 
upon  him  the  primary  duty  of  himself  alone  exercising  that 
individual  right  and  power,  and  discharging  that  duty. 

The  right  and  duty  of  each  individual  to  at  all  times  exer- 
cise the  power  of  self-control  involves  in  equal  measure  the 
concomitant  obligation  upon  you  and  all  mankind  to  respect 
that  right  and  duty. 

By  your  violation  of  this  fundamental  obligation  and  your 
infraction  of  Nature's  law  in  relation  thereto  you  deprive  the 
soul  of  your  fellow  man  of  the  one  transcendent  power  upon 
which  its  Individual  Immortality  depends  and  stand  convicted 
before  the  bar  of  Nature  and  the  judgments  of  men,  of  THE 

GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME. 

You  thereby  and  at  the  same  time  invoke  upon  yourself  the 
irrevocable  penalty  which  Nature  prescribes  therefor.  You 
cannot  evade  it.  You  cannot  avoid  it.  You  can  neither  miti- 
gate nor  modify  it.  Alone  you  must  walk  the  path  of  life  and 
alone  you  must  expiate  this  Crime  against  the  fundamental 
Law  of  Justice  and  against  the  life  and  liberty  of  your  fellow 
man. 

II. 
To  THE  HYPNOTIC  SUBJECT. 

As  the  crowning  achievement  of  evolutionary  development 
Nature  has  invested  you,  as  a  man,  with  certain  distinctive  and 


ADMONITIONS  AND  SUGGESTIONS         351 

exclusive  attributes  and  characteristics  which  distinguish  you 
from  the  animal. 
These  are : 

1.  SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS,  as  distinguished  from  the  sim- 
ple consciousness  of  animal  life  and  nature. 

2.  REASON,  as  distinguished  from  the  simple  intelligence 
of  the  animal. 

3.  INDEPENDENT  CHOICE,  as  distinguished  from  the  in- 
stinctive selections  of  animal  nature. 

4.  Independent,    self-conscious    and    rational    VOLITION, 
as  distinguished  from  the  irrational,  impulsive  and  instinctive 
volition  of  all  forms  of  animal  life. 

Upon  these  distinctive  and  exclusive  attributes  and  char- 
acteristics of  your  nature  you  must  depend  for  all  that  enables 
you  to  rise  above  the  level  of  animal  life  and  animal  nature. 

Upon  these  alone  you  must  also  depend  for  all  that  makes 
you  a  responsible,  individual  intelligence. 

Upon  these  and  these  alone  you  must  depend  for  all  that 
gives  you  a  moral  status  among  your  fellow  men. 

Upon  these  and  these  alone  you  must  depend  for  all  your 
ability  to  achieve  Individual  Immortality. 

The  degree  to  which  you  are  in  undisputed  possession 
and  control  of  all  these  attributes  of  the  soul  at  any  given 
.time  determines  with  unerring  accuracy  the  degree  to  which 
you  are  then  a  responsible,  individual  intelligence. 

To  the  same  degree  and  for  the  same  reason  you  are  then 
morally  accountable  to  your  fellow  men. 

The  degree  to  which  you  are  now  in  undisputed  possession 
and  independent  control  of  your  self-consciousness,  reason, 
independent  choice  and  volition,  determines  with  unerring 
accuracy  the  distance  to  which  you  have  risen  above  the  plane 
of  animal  life  and  animal  nature. 

Whatever  in  any  degree  divests  or  deprives  you  of  your 
own  natural  dominion  and  control  over  all  or  any  of  these 
distinctively  human  attributes  of  the  soul,  thereby  at  the  same 
time  and  in  exactly  the  same  degree,  robs  you  of  your  life, 
your  liberty,  your  individual  responsibility,  your  moral  char- 


352       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

acter  and  accountability,  and  the  power  upon  which  you  must 
depend  for  the  achievement  of  Individual  Immortality. 

Whatever  in  the  least  possible  measure  divests  you  of 
your  independent  control  over  these  distinctively  human  attri- 
butes, capacities  and  powers  of  the  soul,  thereby  at  the  same 
time  and  in  precisely  the  same  degree,  reduces  you  toward  the 
level  of  animal  nature. 

It  is  determined  with  absolute  scientific  certainty  that 
•  hypnotism,  in  just  so  far  as  you  become  a  subject  of  it,  divests 
you  of  your  power  of  independent  choice  and  your  power  of 
will  or  volition. 

To  the  exact  degree,  therefore,  that  you  become  a  subject 
of  the  hypnotic  process  it  divests  you  of  your  own  independent 
control  of  each  and  every  one  of  those  distinctive  and  exclu- 
sive attributes  and  powers  of  the  soul  which  lift  you  above 
the  level  of  animal  life  and  animal  nature. 

It  takes  from  you  your  individual  responsibility.  It  de- 
prives you  of  your  moral  accountability.  It  dispossesses  you 
of  your  power  of  self-control.  It  divests  you  of  the  powers 
upon  which  you  must  depend  for  the  achievement  of  Individ- 
ual Immortality.  In  just  so  far  as  it  exists  it  robs  you  of  the 
soul  attributes  which  distinguish  you  as  a  human  being,  and 
reduces  you  to  the  level  of  your  animal  nature. 

It  makes  of  you  a  negative  quantity,  a  nullity,  a  nonentity 
in  the  great  world  of  activity,  of  thought,  of  accomplishment 
and  achievement. 

It  destroys  in  you  everything  you  possess  that  commands 
the  admiration,  the  confidence  and  the  respect  of  your  fellow 
men. 

It  makes  of  you  a  mere  plaything  for  the  entertainment 
of  those  of  your  fellows  who  desire  to  amuse  themselves  at 
your  expense. 

Worst  of  all,  it  makes  of  you  a  dependent,  a  mere  servant, 
a  slave,  a  menial,  a  puppet,  a  serf. 

It  binds  you  to  a  base,  an  ignoble  and  a  humiliating  servi- 
tude both  here  and  hereafter.  With  these  facts  thus  plainly 
before  you,  to  whatever  extent  you  invite  it,  permit  it,  or 
knowingly  and  intentionally  become  a  party  to  it,  you  thereby 


ADMONITIONS  AND  SUGGESTIONS         353 

and  at  the  same  time  become  also  an  ACCESSORY  TO  THE  GREAT 

PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME. 

As  such,  you  invoke  upon  yourself  the  operation  of  The 
Destructive  Principle  of  Nature  in  Individual  Life.  As  such, 
you  must,  in  addition,  suffer  the  penalty  which  Nature  pre- 
scribes therefor. 

There  is  no  vicarious  atonement  possible  to  those  who  de- 
liberately participate  in  the  commission  of  this  vital  offense 
against  the  law  of  individual  life. 

To  the  full  measure  of  your  own  conscious  and  intentional 
part  in  it  the  crime  is  yours.  To  this  extent  you  and  you 
alone  must  expiate  it. 

III. 
To  THE  GENUINE  MEDIUM. 

All  that  has  been  said  by  way  of  admonition  or  sugges- 
tion to  the  hypnotic  subject  applies  with  equal  relevancy,  ma- 
teriality, logic  and  force  to  you.  But  in  order  that  you  may 
not  suffer  injustice,  by  inference,  in  relation  to  matters  therein 
considered,  it  is  necessary  that  something  be  added. 

The  motives  which  inspire  you  are  fully  understood  and 
appreciated.  In  just  so  far  as  you  are  moved  by  a  sense  of 
religious  duty,  or  by  a  desire  to  relieve  the  sufferings  and  the 
ills  of  your  fellow  men  and  women,  or  by  sympathy  for  the 
sorrowing,  or  by  the  importunities  of  friends  and  seekers  after 
.truth,  or  by  your  own  honest  desire  for  exact  and  definite 
knowledge  of  another  life,  or  by  the  conviction  that  your  me- 
diumship  is  a  "Gift"  or  a  "Power"  which  you  are  in  duty 
bound  to  dedicate  to  the  world,  your  motives  are  fully  re- 
spected and  your  intentions  heartily  commended. 

Most  unfortunately  for  you,  however,  it  is  not  a  question 
of  motives  nor  intentions  at  all.  It  is  the  vastly  more  im- 
portant question  of  results  and  results  only. 

No  true  religion  ever  has  demanded  nor  in  the  very  nature 
of  things  ever  will  demand  of  you  the  surrender  of  your  in- 
dividual responsibility,  nor  your  moral  accountability,  nor 
your  power  of  self-control,  nor  any  of  the  faculties,  capacities 
and  powers  upon  which  you  must  depend  for  the  achievement 
of  your  Individual  Immortality. 


354       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

However  desirable  it  may  be  under  right  conditions  to  ob- 
tain definite  knowledge  of  a  life  beyond  the  grave,  this  cannot 
be  justly  nor  rightfully  nor  lawfully  done  by  any  process  or 
means  which  involves  the  sacrifice  of  individual  life,  or  the 
surrender  or  suppression  of  any  of  the  individual  and  in- 
alienable rights  and  powers  of  the  soul. 

The  law  of  Life  is  the  law  of  Individual  Development. 

The  law  of  Death  is  the  law  of  Individual  Subjection  and 
Surrender. 

You  know  full  well  that  the  men  and  women  who  to-day 
command  the  admiration,  the  confidence  and  the  respect  of 
their  fellow  men  and  women  are  not  those  who  are  under  the 
domination  and  control  of  other  intelligences. 

Those  who  achieve  individual  success  are  those  who  em- 
ploy their  own  intelligence  and  their  own  reason,  those  who 
exercise  their  own  independent  powers  and  rely  upon  their 
own  independent  judgments  in  all  the  affairs  of  life.  This 
is  the  law  of  individual  being  both  here  and  hereafter.  In 
the  realm  of  the  soul  itself  science  finds  no  exceptions. 

If  you  have  been  flattered  by  the  assurances  of  your  con- 
trols, or  have  comforted  yourself  in  the  belief  that  your  me- 
diumship  is  a  "gift"  or  a  "power"  conferred  upon  you  by 
the  gods  as  a  badge  of  honor  or  a  token  of  preferment,  be 
not  deceived  longer,  for  such  is  not  the  case. 

To  whatever  extent  your  mediumship  has  served  to  single 
you  out  from  among  the  great  general  average  of  men  and 
women,  it  stands  for  nothing  so  much  as  it  does  your  own  in- 
dividual weakness  and  subjection. 

To  whatever  extent  it  has  given  you  a  place  in  the  seance, 
the  circle,  the  cabinet  or  the  pulpit  is  due  to  nothing  over 
which  you  in  your  own  right  have  dominion  and  control. 
Neither  is  it  due  to  any  knowledge  or  power  which  you  in 
your  own  right  possess.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  because  of 
your  lack  of  knowledge,  your  want  of  independence  and  your 
surrender  of  individual  powers. 

It  is  neither  a  "gift"  nor  a  "power"  of  your  own  that 
paralyzes  your  will  and  makes  of  you  a  pliant  and  help- 
less tool  to  do  the  bidding  of  oftentimes  selfish  and  irre- 


355 


sponsible  controls.  It  is  neither  a  "gift"  nor  a  "power"  of 
your  own  that  drags  you  bodily  before  a  curious  and 
oftentimes  trifling,  frivolous  and  deprecating  audience  and 
there  compels  you  automatically  to  say  and  do  that  which 
your  own  intelligence  would  condemn  and  your  own  self-re- 
spect forbid  if  you  but  knew  it. 

The  "power"  that  robs  you  of  all  you  possess,  which  lifts 
you  to  a  plane  above  the  level  of  the  animal,  is  not  a  "power" 
to  be  sought  nor  to  be  proud  of.  The  "gift"  that  wrests  -from 
you  the  one  transcendent  power  of  the  soul,  the  power  of 
Self-Control,  is  not  a  "gift"  to  be  prized  nor  one  to  command 
honest  admiration. 

You  know  full  well  that  among  the  dearest  possessions  of 
the  soul  is  the  sovereign,  independent  power  to  command  in 
your  own  right  the  confidence,  the  approval,  the  trust,  the 
respect,  the  appreciation  and  the  personal  affection  of  your 
fellow  men  and  women. 

You  also  know,  if  you  have  studied  the  lives  and  expe- 
riences of  other  mediums,  possibly  you  may  know  it  from  a 
personal  experience,  that  in  exact  proportion  as  it  becomes 
known  that  you  are  subject  to  the  domination  and  control 
of  spiritual  intelligences  your  own  reputation  for  stability  of 
character,  integrity,  reliability,  judgment  and  discretion  in- 
•  evitably  suffers. 

In  your  capacity  as  a  mediumistic  instrument  you  reflect 
to  those  upon  the  physical  plane  whatever  degree  of  intelli- 
gence, honesty,  wisdom  or  morality  your  controls  desire  to 
exhibit  through  you.  Most  of  those  who  thus  observe  you 
are  unable  to  differentiate  between  you  and  your  controls. 

When  your  controls  are  lofty  in  expression  and  exalted 
in  thought  you  as  their  instrument  lend  yourself  to  the  har- 
mony of  thought  and  expression.  It  is  then  that  you  appear 
to  greatest  advantage.  When  your  controls  are  frivolous, 
coarse  or  vulgar,  their  spirit  and  intent  reflect  themselves 
through  you,  and  it  is  then  that  you  appear  to  great  dis- 
advantage. 

And  so  it  is  that  you  are  made  the  innocent  victim  of 


356       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

those  upon  whom  you  thus  rely  for  guidance,  direction,  pro- 
tection and  inspiration  to  life  and  action. 

If  you  would  be  strong  in  your  own  right,  either  here  or 
in  the  life  to  come,  you  must  declare  your  independence  from 
all  subjection  and  from  all  subjective  processes.  You  must 
assert  your  sovereign  dominion  over  the  faculties,  capacities 
and  powers  of  the  soul  upon  which  your  individual  responsi- 
bility depends.  You  must  rise  to  the  dignity  and  the  majesty 
of  self-reliance  and  Self-Control. 

IV. 
To  THE  "SENSITIVE." 

Perhaps  there  is  no  individual  in  society  to-day  who  needs 
more  to  understand  the  laws  of  spiritual  development  than 
you.  Certain  it  is  that  there  is  no  member  of  society  in 
greater  danger  of  being  misled  by  the  subtle  and  seductive 
fallacies  which  are  everywhere  masquerading  under  the  names 
of  "Hypnotism,"  "Mediumship,"  "Occultism,"  "Mysticism" 
and  "Spiritual  Development." 

If  you  have  never  carefully  analyzed  what  it  is  to  be  a 
"sensitive,"  you  may  derive  great  value  from  a  rational  study 
of  this  subject.  In  that  connection  the  following  suggestions 
may  be  of  service  to  you : 

1.  A  "sensitive"  is  one  who  is  more  than  ordinarily  sus- 
ceptible to  the  influences  of  his  environment. 

2.  As  the  term  is  employed  by  spiritualists  and  occultists 
generally,  however,  it  means  one  who  is  more  than  ordinarily 
susceptible  to  the  influence  of  his  spiritual  environment. 

3.  In  this  latter  meaning  of  the  term  it  implies  a  negative 
or  passive  condition  of  the  individual  sufficient  to  make  him 
or  her  receptive  to  the  influences  of  the  more  positive  intelli- 
gences on  the  spiritual  planes  of  life. 

4.  It  is  found  that  by  far  the  larger  number  of  genuine 
"sensitives"  are  women.     This  is  because  of  their  generally 
finer  and  more  highly  attuned  physical  and  nervous  organ- 
isms.    Hence  it  is  that  women,  as  a  class,  are  more  intuitive 
than  men.     For  this  reason  they  very  often  get  things  "out 


ADMONITIONS  AND  SUGGESTIONS          357 

of  the  air,"  while  men  are  compelled  to  depend  upon  the  more 
laborious  and  less  expeditious  process  of  reason. 

5.  It  often  occurs  that  the  genuine  sensitive  is  dimly  con- 
scious   of   spiritual    presences   about   him.      He    is   also   con- 
scious that  he  receives  thoughts  and  ideas  that  are  projected 
upon  him  from  the  spiritual  side  of  life.     In  the  semi-con- 
scious hours  of  sleep  it  not  infrequently  occurs  that  such  an 
individual  has  visions.     These  often  prove  to  be  full  of  sig- 
nificance for  the  peculiar  intelligence  they  convey  concerning 
matters  and  things  not  at  the  time  understood. 

6.  This  condition  of  sensitiveness  may  be  the  result  of : 

(a)  Heredity. 

(b)  Prenatal  conditions. 

(c)  Conditions    for    which     the     individual     himself    is 
wholly    responsible;    such,   for   instance,  as  a  negative   diet, 
introspective  habits  of  thought,   insufficient  nourishment,  the 
use  of  opiates,  narcotics,  sedatives,  etc. 

(d)  The  gradual  refinement  of  the  individual,  physically, 
spiritually  and  psychically  as  a  result  of  the  evolutionary  pro- 
cesses carried  on  by  both  the  individual  and  Nature.     It  now 
and  then  occurs  that  under  this  process  of  evolution  an  indi- 
vidual is  brought  very  close  to  the  border  line  of  conditions 
between  physical  Nature  and  the  world  of  spiritual  things. 

(e)  Any  two  or  more  of  these  conditions  combined  may 
« serve  to  produce  the  same  result. 

7.  Regardless   of  the  exact  method   or   process  by  and 
through  which  you  have  come  to  be  a  "sensitive,"  it  is  of  vital 
importance  for  you  to  know 'that  as  such  you  have  reached  a 
state  and  condition  fraught  with  the  most  momentous  conse- 
quences, possibilities  and  responsibilities  that  can  rest  upon 
any  individual,  either  here  or  hereafter. 

For  illustration:  If  you  follow  the  negative  or  passive 
impulse  of  your  nature  under  these  conditions  (which  most  of 
you  do),  or  listen  to  the  suggestions  and  advice  of  those  who 
approve  or  practice  the  subjective  methods  or  processes  of 
mediumship,  you  will,  without  the  least  conscious  effort  on 
your  part,  fall  into  a  subjective  state  or  condition  and  ulti- 
mately become  a  medium. 


358       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

Under  this  process  you  gradually  lose  the  power  of  self- 
control.  The  process  itself  is  so  fascinating,  so  insidious  and 
so  gradually  progressive  that  you  do  not  discover  this  impor- 
tant fact  until  it  is  too  late  for  you  to  retrace  your  steps  alone. 
As  a  result,  in  the  natural  course  of  events,  you  begin  to  "see 
things"  or  "hear  things/'  as  the  case  may  be.  To  your  friends 
and  relatives,  as  well  as  to  every  one  else  who  does  not  under- 
stand such  experiences,  you  are  promptly  pronounced  "queer." 
In  the  largest  number  of  instances  this  is  but  the  beginning 
of  the  end.  From  this  point  the  road  is  both  broad  and 
straight  that  leads  to  the  insane  asylum  and  thence  to  an  igno- 
minious death. 

If,  perchance,  there  should  be  any  doubt  as  to  the  absolute 
truth  of  this  statement,  it  may  be  fully  verified  by  an  examina- 
tion into  the  lives  and  experiences  of  the  insane  in  our  asy- 
lums everywhere  throughout  the  land.  It  will  be  found  from 
a  study  of  the  individual  history  of  these  various  cases  that 
many  of  them  were  only  simple  "sensitives"  in  the  beginning. 
The  experience  was  both  fascinating  and  pleasant.  They 
yielded  to  the  passive  or  negative  impulses  or  tendencies  of 
their  natures,  or  perhaps  to  insidious  suggestions  from  the 
spiritual  planes,  as  is  often  the  case.  As  a  natural  result,  they 
soon  began  to  "see  things."  It  will  be  found,  however,  that 
in  the  larger  number  of  instances  they  first  began  to  "hear 
voices,"  or  feel  the  touch  of  invisible  hands  or  invisible  pres- 
ences. 

With  these  experiences  came  also  the  irresistible  desire 
to  tell  them  to  their  relatives  and  friends.  These,  being 
ignorant  of  the  true  cause,  became  alarmed.  The  family 
physician  was  called  in.  An  examination  followed,  with  the 
usual  result  that  the  case  was  pronounced  "delusional  insan- 
ity." All  such  cases  thus  far  have  been  sent  to  the  insane 
asylums  as  the  only  institutions  of  the  several  states  equipped 
with  facilities  for  properly  caring  for  those  who  are  looked 
upon  as  mentally  unbalanced  or  mentally  irresponsible.  It 
would  astonish  any  intelligent  individual  who  is  not  already 
familiar  with  the  facts  to  know  how  many  of  these  unfortu- 
nate individuals  go  on  "seeing  things"  or  "hearing  things" 


ADMONITIONS  AND  SUGGESTIONS          359 

or  "feeling  things,"  as  the  case  may  be,  until  death  mercifully 
comes  to  their  relief. 

There  is  but  one  way  for  you  who  have  not  yet  passed  the 
point  of  mere  "sensitiveness"  to  successfully  guard  yourselves 
from  the  unhappy  results  here  suggested.  If  you  would  do 
this  you  must  proceed  at  once  to  exercise  your  indi- 
vidual intelligence.  You  must  assert  your  absolute  independ- 
ence of  all  subjective  processes  and  conditions.  You  must 
maintain  at  all  times  the  active,  wakeful  consciousness,  and 
in  the  largest  measure  possible  develop  the  power  of  individual 
self-control. 

By  following  the  lines  here  indicated  you  will  gradually 
but  surely  rise  above  every  tendency  to  subjection.  When 
this  has  been  once  fully  accomplished  it  is  then  possible  for 
you,  in  course  of  time  and  conscientious  work,  under  the  per- 
sonal instruction  and  direction  of  one  who  knows  the  law 
and  the  process,  to  become  a  natural  and  independent  psychic 
without  injury  to  yourself  or  harm  to  anyone. 

But  here  again  you  are  likely  to  encounter  grave  difficul- 
ties. You  will  find  many  self-advertised  instructors  who  will 
not  hesitate,  for  a  valuable  consideration,  to  undertake  the 
hazardous  task  of  guiding  you  over  the  dangerous  road  to 
the  desired  destination.  With  rare  exceptions,  however,  they 
are  entirely  ignorant  of  the  formula  or  process  of  independent 
spiritual  self-development.  As  an  inevitable  result  their  in- 
struction or  guidance  would  serve  only  to  lead  you  back 
again  into  the  wilderness  of  "mysticism,"  where  so  many  inno- 
cent, credulous  and  trusting  souls  are  to-day  wandering  in 
darkness  and  despair. 

But  there  are  Masters  who  are  able  to  guide  you  in  per- 
fect safety  to  the  goal  of  independent,  spiritual  self-illumina- 
tion. True,  they  are  few  in  number.  But  even  so,  and  not- 
withstanding they  receive  no  fee  for  their  services,  alas,  they 
are  not  overwhelmed  with  students  who  possess  the  Intelli- 
gence to  take  the  instruction,  the  Courage  to  do  the  work, 
and  the  Perseverance  to  accomplish  the  tasks  which  such  an 
instruction  imposes. 

It  is,  indeed,  quite  possible  that  if  the  course  of  study  and 


360       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

the  character,  quality  and  scope  of  the  work  were  laid  out 
before  you  and  you  were  then  asked  if  you  were  ready  to 
enter  upon  the  task,  you  would  hesitate  to  undertake  it.  And 
well  you  might,  for  a  rational,  spiritual  self-development  is 
the  work  of  years,  while  mediumistic  subjection  and  control, 
to  one  who  is  already  a  "sensitive"  come  almost  immediately 
and  without  effort. 

But  even  though  you  may  not  be  prepared  to  undertake 
the  process  of  independent  development,  it  is  nevertheless 
possible  for  you  to  avoid  the  pitfalls  of  subjection.  In  order 
that  you  may  not  fall  a  victim  to  the  seductive  charms  of 
negation  and  self-surrender,  it  is  of  the  most  vital  importance 
that  you  have  clearly  and  distinctly  in  mind  the  difference 
between  subjective  and  independent  methods  and  processes. 
Then  and  then  only  will  you  be  able  to  avoid  the  dangers 
which  menace  every  "sensitive." 

If,  therefore,  you  would  guard  yourself  from  the  blighting 
effects  of  mediumistic  subjection,  and  preserve  your  independ- 
ence and  your  powers  as  a  sovereign,  individual  intelligence, 
you  must  assert  your  individuality.  You  must  use  your  rea- 
son. You  must  maintain  the  highest  possible  measure  of  self- 
control  over  all  the  faculties,  capacities  and  powers  of  your 
own  individual  being. 

As  a  "sensitive"  you  stand  at  the  parting  of  the  ways. 
One  of  these  leads  onward  and  upward  along  the  pathway  of 
individual  growth,  development,  acquisition,  power,  self-re- 
spect and  the  respect  of  your  fellow-man.  The'  other  leads 
downward  along  the  pathway  of  individual  weakness,  nega- 
tion, inertia,  self-surrender,  degeneracy,  self-condemnation 
and  the  condemnation  of  your  fellow-man. 

The  one  is  THE  WAY  OF  LIFE. 

The  other  is  THE  WAY  OF  DEATH. 

V. 

To  THE  SPIRITUALIST. 

If  you  have  followed  the  subject  consistently  and  consci- 
entiously to  this  point  it  will  be  perfectly  clear  to  you  that 
no  attempt  has  been  made  to  evade,  avoid,  ignore  nor  min- 


ADMONITIONS  AND  SUGGESTIONS          361 

imize  any  of  the  established  facts  upon  which  your  accept- 
ance of  spiritualism  is  based.  No  effort  has  been  made  to 
disturb  you  in  any  manner  whatsoever  concerning  the  phe- 
nomena of  mediumship  nor  the  interpretations  you  have 
placed  upon  them.  There  is  no  desire  to  deprive  you  of  the 
smallest  grain  of  comfort  to  be  derived  from  the  great  fact 
that  there  is  a  life  after  physical  death,  and  that  such  a  life  is 
scientifically  demonstrable.  There  is  no  wish  to  discredit 
.the  fact  that  mediumship  embodies  one  of  the  methods  and 
processes  by  and  through  which  communication  may  be  estab- 
lished and  maintained  between  the  two  worlds  of  matter,  life 
and  intelligence. 

While  all  this  is  true,  it  has  nevertheless  been  conclu- 
sively demonstrated  by  the  methods  of  exact  science  that  the 
mediumistic  process  involves  a  violation  of  natural  law.  It 
is  to  this  fundamental  fact  and  this  alone  that  you  are  asked 
in  all  sincerity  and  candor  to  apply  your  intelligence,  your 
reason  and  your  conscience.  In  this  central  and  vital  fact 
lurk  the  most  insidious,  subtle  and  fascinating  dangers  to 
"Life,  Liberty  and  the  Pursuit  of  Happiness." 

It  is  a  fact  well  known  that  the  great  body  constituting 
the  rank  and  file  of  Spiritualism  are  made  up  of  those  of  you 
who  are  not  mediums  and  who  perhaps  never  will  be.  The 
largest  majority  of  your  number  do  not  wish  to  become 
mediums.  Many  of  you  have  been  and  are  sufficiently  close 
students  and  observers  to  have  discovered  for  yourselves  the 
destructive  nature  and  effects  of  the  mediumistic  process. 
Many  others  of  your  number  have  intuitively  sensed  the  dan- 
ger in  time  to  avoid  it. 

Even  your  leading  journals,  in  recent  years,  have  sounded 
the  note  of  warning  times  almost  without  number.  But  irr 
almost  every  such  instance  it  is  assumed,  or  is  left  by  infer- 
ence to  so  appear,  that  the  dangers  and  the  destructive  results 
are  all  due  entirely  to  the  malicious  work  of  evil  spirits,  who 
deliberately  and  intentionally  destroy  their  mediums,  and  not 
to  the  mediumistic  process  itself. 

Indeed,  it  does  not  appear  to  have  thus  far  occurred  to 
your  leading  thinkers  and  writers  that  the  dangers  and  the 


362       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

destructive  results  are  primarily  due  entirely  to  the  medium- 
istic  process  itself  and  not  to  the  spiritual  intelligences  who 
employ  it  or  set  it  in  motion.  This,  however,  is  the  vital  dis- 
tinction. It  is  herein  also  that  the  remedy  must  be  found. 

The  wisest  physician  on  earth  cannot  paralyze  the  heart 
action  of  his  patient  without  at  the  same  time  and  by  the  same 
process  destroying  the  patient's  life.  The  doctor  himself  may 
be  a  seer  or  a  saint,  or  he  may  be  a  villain  and  an  outlaw.  It 
matters  not.  If  he  employs  a  process  which  paralyzes  the 
heart  the  inevitable  consequence  is  death.  Nor  does  his  mo- 
tive or  intent  have  anything  to  do  with  it.  It  is  the  process 
employed  which  produces  the  destructive  results,  and  not  the 
character,  motive  or  intent  of  the  doctor  who  applies  it. 

Just  so  with  mediumship.  The  destructive  results  are  due 
primarily  to  the  process  itself  and  not  to  the  personal  char- 
acter nor  the  motives  nor  the  wisdom  nor  the  folly  nor  the 
evil  intent  of  those  who  apply  it. 

Whatever  process  paralyzes  the  will  and  voluntary  powers 
of  any  individual  is  destructive  in  its  nature  and  effects.  It 
matters  not  who  applies  it.  It  matters  not  what  name  we  give 
it.  We  may  even  name  it  "The  Great  Restorer"  if  you  like, 
but  this  will  in  no  wise  change  its  action.  We  may  call  it 
hypnotism,  or  -statuvolism,  or  mesmerism,  or  psychratism,  or 
mediumship,  or  the  Communion  of  Saints.  This  does  not 
change  its  nature,  its  action  nor  its  results.  The  mere  adop- 
tion of  a  name  cannot  convert  a  destructive  process  into  a 
constructive  process,  nor  transmute  death  into  life. 

The  dangers  and  the  misfortunes  and  the  desolations 
which  follow  in  the  pathway  of  mediumship  are  all  due,  pri- 
marily, to  the  great  fundamental  fact  that  mediumship  is  a 
subjective,  psychic  process.  As  such  it  paralyzes  the  will  and 
voluntary  powers  of  its  subjects  in  just  so  far  as  it  exists  at 
any  given  time.  Paralysis  of  the  will,  by  whatever  method 
or  means  accomplished,  is  a  destructive  process. 

Nor  does  it  in  the  least  degree  change  the  character  of  the 
process  nor  minimize  its  destructive  results  if,  perchance,  the 
subject  of  it  should  thereby  become  clairvoyant  or  clairaudi- 


ADMONITIONS  AND  SUGGESTIONS          363 

ent  and  as  an  incidental  result  thereof  demonstrate  thereby 
the  existence  of  another  life. 

It  is  a  fact  well  known  to  science  that  persons  who  slowly 
bleed  to  death,  or  those  who  starve,  very  often  become  both 
clairvoyant  and  clairaudient  just  before  the  transition  we  call 
death.  This,  however,  does  not  sanctify  the  process  of  star- 
vation nor  glorify  the  practice  of  hemorrhage,  nor  in  the  least 
alter  the  destructive  nature  of  either. 

Quite  aside  from  the  rigid  practices  of  the  ancient  ascetics 
or  the  diabolical  and  inhuman  castigations  of  the  barbaric 
religious  devotees  of  primitive  civilizations,  it  has  been  dem- 
onstrated that  in  this  day  and  age  of  our  race  spiritual  illu- 
mination does  not  necessarily  involve  ultra  means  or  methods 
of  any  kind. 

The  time  has  come,  in  fact,  when  the  same  character  of 
rational  discrimination  with  which  we  examine  other  ques- 
tions of  science  must  be  applied  to  the  mediumistic  process. 
However  sorely  we  may  be  tempted  to  do  so,  we  cannot  afford 
to  shut  our  eyes  to  the  principle  involved  merely  because  we 
are  interested  in  the  phenomena  of  mediumship.  We  cannot 
afford  to  blindly  indorse  or  approve  this  particular  process  or 
any  other  merely  because  it  happens  to  afford  us  entertain- 
ment or  amusement  or  even  some  degree  of  comfort  and  satis- 
faction. To  do  so  would  be  to  put  ourselves  upon  a  moral 
level  with  Nero,  who  is  said  to  have  accounted  all  things 
good  which  pleased  him  and  all  things  evil  which  failed  to 
do  so. 

If  Spiritualism  is  to  become  a  permanent,  living  factor  in 
the  moral  and  spiritual  evolution  of  our  race,  you  who  repre- 
sent its  best  brains,  wisest  thoughts  and  highest  morals  must 
come  to  the  front  and  assert  your  independence.  You  must 
look  beyond  the  mere  phenomena  of  mediumship  and  recog- 
nize the  demonstrated  fact  of  science  that  the  process  back 
of  them  is  destructive  in  its  essential  nature. 

However  radical  the  departure  may  be  from  the  past  and 
present  position  of  your  people  upon  this  particular  subject, 
you  must  insist  upon  the  entire  abandonment  of  every  phase, 
form  and  degree  of  mediumship.  You  must  turn  your  backs 


364       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

upon  every  process  and  practice  which  involves  the  subjec- 
tion of  one  intelligence  (or  any  of  the  faculties,  capacities  or 
powers  thereof)  to  the  domination  and  control  of  another. 
You  must  set  the  stamp  of  your  uncompromising  disapproval 
upon  any  and  every  process  or  practice  which  deprives  the 
individual  of  the  free  and  independent  exercise  of  any  one 
or  more  of  the  attributes  of  the  soul  upon  which  his  indi- 
vidual responsibility  depends. 

Doubtless  the  question  has  already  occurred  to  you :  "How 
is  it  possible  for  Spiritualists  to  repudiate  mediumship  with- 
out thereby  and  at  the  same  time  renouncing  Spiritualism  it- 
self?" This  is  indeed  a  searching  question.  Nor  can  it  be 
answered  in  a  single  sentence.  The  following  suggestions, 
however,  may  prove  to  be  of  possible  value  in  that  connec- 
tion: 

1.  Spiritualism  involves  two  distinct  and  separate  phases 
of  the  same  general  subject. 

2.  One  of  these  relates  entirely  to  what  is  known  as  the 
phenomena  of  Spiritualism. 

3.  The  other  is  confined  exclusively  to  what  is  known 
as  the  ethics,  or  the  philosophy,  or  the   religion  of  Spirit- 
ualism. 

4.  The  phenomena  of  Spiritualism  are  related  wholly  and 
exclusively  to  the  various  phases  and  forms  of  mediumship. 
They  all,  therefore,  depend  upon  the  mediumistic  process  for 
their  production.     This  constitutes  what  may  very  properly 
be  termed  the  purely  mechanical  side  of  Spiritualism. 

5.  But  phenomena,  of  themselves,   do  not    and    cannot 
constitute  a  religion,  nor  a  philosophy,  nor  a  moral  code,  nor 
an  ethical  system  by  which  to  live  a  life.     They  simply  con- 
stitute data  from  which  a  religious  creed  or  a  philosophical 
system  or  an  ethical  code  may  be  formulated. 

6.  There  is   a   process,   however,  wholly   different   from 
that  of  mediumship,  by  and  through  which  all  the  data  of 
mediumship  and  vastly  more  may  be  acquired  by  those  who 
possess  the  Intelligence,  Courage  and  Perseverance  to  prop- 
erly fit  themselves  for  its  reception  and  school  themselves  to 
its  proper  use. 


ADMONITIONS  AND  SUGGESTIONS          365 

7.  This  process  involves  the  acquisition  of  exact  knowl- 
edge, the  accomplishment  of  a  specific  work,  and  the  living  of 
a  definite  life.  It  is  an  independent,  self-conscious  and  ra- 
tional process.  It  is  a  wide-awake,  a  normal  and  an  intelli- 
gent process.  It  is  a  process  under  which  the  individual  at 
all  times  and  under  all  conditions  must  maintain  a  normal 
and  healthful  control  of  all  his  intelligent  faculties,  capaci- 
ties and  powers.  It  is  a  process  which  enables  the  individual 
to  see  for  himself,  hear  for  himself  and  sense  for  himself  the 
spiritual  data  and  obtain  for  himself  definite  knowledge  of 
another  life.  It  is  a  process  which  demands  Self-Control  in- 
stead of  self-surrender,  and  independence  of  volition  instead 
of  subjection  to  the  will  of  others.  In  other  words,  it  is  in 
every  respect  a  Constructive  process.  It  develops  a  Master 
instead  of  a  Medium. 

As  this  volume  is  limited  to  the  consideration  of  Nature's 
Destructive  Principle,  the  process  referred  to  must  be  re- 
served for  another  volume  of  this  Series. 

VI. 

To  THE  MINISTER. 

To  you,  more  than  to  almost  any  other  individual  in  the 
community,  society  in  general  looks  for  its  inspirations  to 
higher  ideals  and  more  exalted  achievements,  as  well  as  the 
development  of  a  higher  standard  of  morality  and  life. 

To  the  extent  that  this  is  true  your  individual  responsi- 
bility is  increased  and  your  obligation  to  society  intensified. 
You  stand  in  the  position  of  not  only  a  preacher  of  the  word, 
an  expounder  of  the  law  and  an  exemplifier  of  the  life,  but 
also  in  that  of  a  voluntary,  self-appointed,  spiritual  coun- 
selor and  personal  guide  to  those  who  are  seeking  knowledge 
of  a  life  beyond  the  grave. 

The  very  foundation  upon  which  your  profession  and 
your  life's  work  depend  is  the  doctrine  of  another  life.  All 
your  educational  training  has  centered  about  this  one  funda- 
mental tenet.  The  central  purpose  of  all  your  schooling  and 
all  your  study  and  all  your  preparation  has  been  to  fit  you 


36G       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

for  the  great  life  work  of  teaching  this  fundamental  doctrine 
to  your  fellow-man. 

All  over  our  beautiful  land  schools,  colleges,  theological 
seminaries  and  universities  have  been  erected  and  at  an  enor- 
mous outlay  of  time,  energy  and  money  are  maintained  for 
the  sole  purpose  of  equipping  you  for  the  proper  discharge 
of  your  duties  and  responsibilities  in  the  field  of  your  chosen 
profession. 

Notwithstanding  all  this,  it  would  appear,  from  the  un- 
qualified statements  of  some  of  your  most  prominent  and  re- 
spected representatives,  that  there  are  those  among  you  who 
do  not  yet  know  that  there  is  a  life  after  physical  dissolu- 
tion. 

The  following  authentic  incident  of  very  recent  occurrence 
cannot  fail  to  command  your  intelligent  interest  and  respect- 
ful consideration  in  this  connection : 

A  meeting  of  select  and  intelligent  gentlemen  was  re- 
cently held  in  the  city  of  Chicago  for  the  express  purpose  of 
listening  to  an  address  from  one  who  has  never,  as  yet, 
achieved  the  honorable  distinction  of  ordination.  On  the 
other  hand,  it  so  happens  that  he  is  not  even  a  communicant 
of  any  church  nor  a  professor  of  any  religious  creed  as  the 
term  "religious"  is  generally  employed  and  understood. 

Nevertheless,  it  so  transpired  that  during  the  course  of 
his  address  he  spoke  at  some  length  concerning  the  existence 
of  another  life.  More  than  this,  he  spoke  "as  one  having 
authority."  Those  who  heard  him  were  impressed  with  the 
conviction  that  he  was  neither  speculating  nor  guessing,  but 
that  he  spoke  from  the  standpoint  of  one  who  has  had  a  defi- 
nite personal  experience. 

Among  his  audience  there  seems  to  have  been  a  most  in- 
teresting exception  in  the  person  of  one  of  the  leading  mem- 
bers of  your  profession.  The  gentleman  here  referred  to  is 
a  prominent  minister  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
More  than  this,  he  is  in  good  standing,  and  so  far  as  known 
his  orthodoxy  has  never  been  questioned  by  his  superiors. 
He  was  at  the  time  and  is  now  the  honored  pastor  of  one 
of  Chicago's  conspicuous  and  prosperous  churches. 


ADMONITIONS  AND  SUGGESTIONS         367 

After  the  conclusion  of  the  regular  address  of  the  even- 
ing an  opportunity  was  given  to  a  number  of  the  most  prom- 
inent gentlemen  present  to  express  themselves  upon  various 
topics  appropriate  to  the  occasion.  Among  the  number  called 
upon  was  the  reverend  gentleman  above  referred  to. 

He  arose,  and  to  the  astonishment  of  every  other  indi- 
vidual present  delivered  himself  of  a  severe  and  almost  bitter 
arraignment  of  the  principal  speaker  of  the  evening  for  pre- 
suming to  speak  with  assurance  concerning  the  fact  of  a  life 
after  physical  death  and  the  possibility  of  its  actual  demon- 
stration. 

To  the  utter  amazement  of  those  who  heard  him,  he  de- 
clared without  equivocation  or  mental  reservation,  so  far  as 
his  words  would  imply,  that  the  existence  of  a  life  beyond 
the  grave  is  a  subject  entirely  beyond  the  limitations  of  all 
human  knowledge. 

He  declared,  without  exceptions  or  qualifications  of  any 
kind  whatsoever,  that  no  man  ever  has  known  and  no  man 
ever  will  know  whether  there  is  such  a  life  until  he  has  solved 
the  great  problem  by  the  process  of  death  itself. 

In  the  same  spirit  of  unqualified  dogmatism  he  assured 
his  audience  that  in  the  very  nature  of  things  it  is  absolutely 
impossible  for  one  in  the  physical  body  to  know  aught  of  any 
life  above  or  beyond  the  physical. 

Perhaps  the  most  impressive  phase  of  this  remarkable  in- 
cident is  the  fact  that  the  reverend  gentleman  did  not  appear 
to  realize  that  his  words  were  freighted  with  nothing  but  self- 
accusation  and  self-condemnation. 

For  perhaps  a  quarter  of  a  century  or  more  this  same 
minister  of  the  gospel  has  been  preaching  that  there  is  a  life 
beyond  the  grave.  From  many  pulpits  he  has  preached  it  to 
the  multitudes.  In  the  Sunday  School  he  has  unhesitat- 
ingly taught  it  to  the  children,  the  youth,  the  mature  and  the 
aged.  At  the  hearthstones  of  his  people,  where  he  has  gained 
admittance  upon  the  basis  of  his  personal  integrity,  he  has 
repeatedly  declared  it.  By  reason  of  his  assumed  or  supposed 
personal  knowledge  of  it  as  a  definite  fact  he  has  been  able 
to  comfort  the  living  and  allay  the  fears  of  the  dying.  With 


368      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

the  unqualified  assurance  of  a  definite  personal  knowledge 
which  none  has  dared  to  question,  he  has  proclaimed  it  in  tri- 
umph over  the  graves  of  the  dead.  Upon  the  solemn  pledge 
of  his  own  integrity  and  the  good  faith  of  his  religion  wherein 
it  is  embodied,  he  has  drawn  his  salary  as  a  duly  ordained 
and  active  minister  of  the  gospel  and  has  thereby  maintained 
both  himself  and  his  family  during  all  these  years. 

But  now,  moved  by  a  sudden  impulse  to  rebuke  the  al- 
leged assumption  of  one  who  dares  in  his  presence  to  give 
expression  to  truths  with  which  the  reverend  gentleman  is  not 
yet  familiar,  he  unintentionally  lets  fall  the  mask  of  many 
years,  and  without  knowing  it  publicly  acknowledges  his  own 
duplicity  and  thereby  pronounces  his  own  condemnation. 

This  incident  tells  its  own  story.  It  needs  no  explanation. 
It  embodies  a  most  powerful  sermon  "To  Ministers  Only," 
and  should  commend  itself  to  your  earnest  and  thoughtful 
consideration. 

In  this  day  and  age  of  scientific  investigation  and  demon- 
stration, when  the  limitations  of  human  knowledge  are  being 
constantly  extended,  you  cannot  afford  to  dogmatize  concern- 
ing the  possibilities  of  human  knowledge  or  human  under- 
standing. You  cannot  afford  to  thus  put  yourself  on  record 
among  those  who  would  prescribe  arbitrary  meets  and  bounds 
for  the  "knowable"  and  the  "unknowable,"  or  fix  unalterable 
limitations  about  the  "known"  and  the  "unknown." 

Do  not  mistake  the  purpose  nor  the  meaning  of  these 
words.  It  is  not  intended  to  here  impugn  the  value  of  Faith 
nor  the  necessity  of  Beliefs.  Both  are  fully  recognized  and 
admitted. 

But  if  you  would  command  the  continued  confidence  and 
respect  of  your  fellow-men  you  must  carefully  differentiate 
between  knowledge  and  faith,  between  the  things  you  "know" 
and  those  you  merely  "believe."  More  than  this,  you  must 
make  the  distinction  so  plain  and  so  conspicuous  at  all  times 
that  your  own  people  cannot  possibly  mistake  the  one  for  the 
other. 

If  you  would  maintain  the  commanding  position  you  have 
so  long  held  of  healthful  and  beneficent  influence  among  your 


ADMONITIONS  AND  SUGGESTIONS         369 

own  people  and  the  community  in  general,  you  must  not  only 
believe  and  have  faith,  but  you  must  do  more  than  this. 
There  are  some  things  you  must  know. 

And  if  perchance  members  of  your  own  congregation 
should  consult  you  concerning  experiences  which  lie  beyond 
the  range  of  your  own  personal  knowledge,  you  must  pos- 
sess the  humility,  the  grace  and  the  common  honesty  to  con- 
fess your  limitations  rather  than  dogmatize  with  them  con- 
cerning things  you  do  not  know. 

It  often  occurs  in  these  days  of  spiritual  unfoldment  that 
individual  members  of  all  the  various  churches  come  into 
definite  and  conscious  touch  and  relation  with  their  spiritual 
environment.  Since  this  is  a  fact  which  has  been  verified 
times  almost  without  number,  it  follows  that  any  arbitrary 
denial  of  it  on  your  part  must,  sooner  or  later,  lead  to  your 
humiliation  and  discomfort  as  well  as  destroy  your  influence 
for  good  wherever  your  limitations  subsequently  become 
known. 

Not  long  since  one  of  your  number  who  is  widely  known 
as  an  able  pulpit  orator  and  disputant,  engaged  in  joint  public 
discussion  with  a  prominent  Spiritualist  upon  the  claims  of 
Spiritualism. 

Unfortunately  for  your  representative,  he  permitted  him- 
self to  be  drawn  into  a  discussion  of  mediumship  as  a  fact. 
•He  took  the  broad  position  that  all  so-called  mediumistic  phe- 
nomena are  nothing  more  than  legerdemain,  and  that  there  is 
no  such  thing  as  genuine  spiritual  communication  through 
mediumistic  processes. 

As  every  well-informed  student  of  the  subject  would  an- 
ticipate, the  decision  was  overwhelmingly  against  your  posi- 
tion. So  strongly  was  this  fact  impressed  upon  those  of  your 
number  who  followed  the  controversy  through  to  its  con- 
clusion that  at  a  meeting  of  ministers  soon  thereafter  it  was 
wisely  decided  that  joint  discussions  of  this  nature  do  not 
tend  to  advance  the  cause  of  religion  and  should  therefore  be 
discouraged. 

The  fatal  error  in  this  instance  was  that  of  denying  the 
existence  of  a  fact  which  has  been  conclusively  demonstrated 


370      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

thousands  of  times  over,  namely,  the  fact  that  there  is  such 
a  thing  as  genuine  mediumship.  The  failure  to  successfully 
combat  this  one  fact  placed  you  at  a  disadvantage  from  which 
it  was  impossible  to  recover.  The  decision  therefore  went 
against  you,  and  justly  so.  As  a  natural  result  of  your  fail- 
ure in  this  instance,  Spiritualism  has  gained  an  almost  irre- 
sistible impulse  at  your  expense,  for  all  of  which  you  are  en- 
tirely responsible. 

It  is  impossible  for  you  or  anyone  else  to  successfully 
deny  the  fact  of  mediumship.  It  is  equally  impossible  for  you 
to  successfully  deny  its  phenomena.  Neither  can  you  suc- 
cessfully dispute  the  fact  that  by  and  through  this  process 
spiritual  intelligences  can  and  do  often  communicate  with 
those  yet  in  the  flesh. 

If  you  would  successfully  meet  the  Spiritualist  you  must 
meet  him  on  his  own  ground.  You  must  be  prepared  to 
admit  all  the  material  facts  upon  which  he  bases  his  claims 
and  then  stand  upon  the  principle  which  lies  back  of  these 
facts. 

To  admit  that  mediumship  is  a  fact  does  not  admit  that  it 
is  right,  any  more  than  to  admit  the  existence  of  murder  is  an 
admission  that  murder  is  right.  To  admit  that  there  are  gen- 
uine spiritual  communications  through  mediums  is  by  no 
means  an  admission  that  the  process  employed  should  be  com- 
mended or  approved,  any  more  than  to  admit  a  forgery  is 
equivalent  to  a  declaration  that  forgery  is  right. 

With  a  proper  understanding  of  the  destructive  nature  of 
the  mediumistic  process  you  are  in  position  to  fully  and  fairly 
meet  every  proposition  which  can  be  advanced  in  favor  of 
any  school  or  philosophy  or  religion  which  depends  upon  a 
subjective,  psychic  process  as  its  substantial  basis. 

One  additional  suggestion  may  not  be  deemed  out  of  place 
in  this  connection.  If  you  have  taken  the  time  to  familiarize 
yourself  with  the  array  of  data  already  presented  you  cannot 
fail  to  be  impressed  with  the  position  here  taken  upon  the 
subject  of  ultra  religious  emotionalism.  It  "has  been  estab- 
lished beyond  all  question  that  ultra  emotionalism  of  any  kind 
involves  a  subjective  process.  It  is  therefore  destructive.  It 


ADMONITIONS  AND  SUGGESTIONS          371 

opens  the  door  to  complete  psychic  subjection  and  control. 
In  the  very  largest  number  of  instances  where  this  occurs  the 
result  is  so-called  "delusional  insanity." 

Your  attention  is  specially  called  to  the  demonstrated 
facts  and  to  the  principle  which  underlies  them.  These  can- 
not fail  to  furnish  you  much  material  for  serious  reflection 
and  earnest  consideration.  If  they  shall  in  any  measure  serve 
to  furnish  a  motive  and  an  inspiration  which  shall  help  you 
to  lift  your  religious  services  and  ceremonials  from  the  plane 
of  emotionalism  to  that  of  rationalism  the  purpose  of  this 
work  will  have  been  in  part  accomplished. 

With  the  facts  at  your  command  there  is  no  body  of  men 
in  existence  in  position  to  accomplish  greater  good  for  pres- 
ent and  future  generations  than  you  can  do  by  an  intelligent 
exposition  of  the  Destructive  Principle  of  Nature  in  Indi- 
vidual Life  as  it  manifests  itself  in  the  subjective  psychic  pro- 
cesses of  Mediumship  and  Hypnotism. 

There  is  no  field  of  educational  work  where  the  harvest 
is  so  abundant  and  ripe  and  the  laborers  are  so  few. 

VII. 
To  THE  BENCH  AND  BAR. 

There  is,  perhaps,  no  tribunal  in  existence  to-day  better 
prepared  to  pass  intelligently  upon  the  merits  of  any  ques- 
tion involving  legal  or  equitable  considerations  than  the 
American  Bench  and  Bar. 

There  is,  without  exception,  no  tribunal  of  the  people  to 
which  the  writer  would  more  cheerfully  or  more  readily  sub- 
mit a  psychological  problem  involving  fine  legal  discrimina- 
tion and  the  application  of  a  just  and  comprehensive  ethical 
standard. 

It  has,  indeed,  been  his  long  cherished  hope  that  the  occa- 
sion would  naturally  present  itself  whereupon  he  might  have 
the  honor  of  presenting  to  you,  gentlemen,  in  a  more  direct 
and  personal  form,  a  number  of  the  more  important  legal 
phases  of  the  general  subject  covered  by  this  volume. 

Under  the  existing  circumstances,  however,  nothing  more 
will  be  attempted  here  than  to  respectfully  call  your  attention 


372      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

in  the  briefest  possible  manner  to  a  few  of  the  important  prop- 
ositions upon  which,  in  the  nature  of  things,  you  will  be 
called  to  pass  legal  judgment  in  the  comparatively  near 
future. 

Perhaps  no  psychological  proposition  was  ever  more  con- 
sistently or  conclusively  established  as  a  principle  of  law  than 
is  that  of  "undue  influence."  Although  a  purely  psychologi- 
cal problem,  it  is  nevertheless  a  subject  of  which  the  courts 
have  unhesitatingly  taken  judicial  cognizance.  More  than 
this,  so  important  has  it  appeared  to  you,  and  so  persistently 
has  it  obtruded  itself  upon  your  attention,  that  to-day  there 
is  no  question  among  you  as  to  the  absolute  correctness  of 
the  central  proposition  involved. 

In  other  words,  it  is  now  universally  recognized  as  a  fact 
that  it  is  possible  for  the  mentally  strong  to  unduly  influence 
the  mentally  weak  under  certain  conditions  and  circumstances. 
Just  what  in  law  constitutes  "undue  influence"  has  been 
passed  upon  so  often  and  from  so  many  different  standpoints, 
and  has  been  defined  with  such  exactness  and  perspicuity,  that 
even  the  youngest  and  least  experienced  of  your  number  has 
in  mind  a  well  defined  and  comprehensive  understanding  of 
the  fundamental  principle  involved. 

Notwithstanding  this  fact;  however,  it  still  remains  for 
you  to  rationally  and  intelligently  apply  this  exact  and  well 
defined  principle  of  law  to  the  specific  subject  of  hypnotic 
control  in  all  its  varied  forms  and  phases.  In  other  words, 
hypnotism  and  mediumship  exemplify  a  character  and  degree 
of  subjection  far  beyond  that  known  to  you  in  law  as  "undue 
influence,"  even  in  its  most  definite,  positive,  unqualified  and 
concrete  form.  And  yet,  with  rare  exceptions,  the  courts 
have  not,  as  yet,  taken  judicial  notice  of  either. 

But  the  time  is  rapidly  approaching  and  is,  in  fact,  prac- 
tically at  hand,  when  your  best  intelligence  must  be  applied 
to  the  just  solution  of  numerous  legal  problems  of  importance 
growing  out  of  the  practice  of  these  subjective,  psychic  pro- 
cesses. 

In  anticipation  of  this  fact,  it  will  not  be  deemed  an  im- 


ADMONITIONS  AND  SUGGESTIONS         373 

pertinence  to  suggest  that  the  following  demonstrated  facts 
may  serve  to  somewhat  facilitate  your  laudable  undertaking. 

1.  By  evidence  which  it  is  impossible  to  controvert  it  is 
established  as  a  fact  of  science  that  to  the  exact  extent  hyp- 
nosis exists  at  any  given  time  the  hypnotist  controls  the  will 
and  voluntary  powers  of  his  subject. 

2.  Hypnotic  control  may  be,  and  often  is,  established  by 
and  with  the  knowledge,  consent  and  co-operation  of  the  sub- 
ject. 

3.  But  where  the  hypnotist  understands  the  process  suf- 
ficiently well,  and  is  strong  enough,  he  may  obtain  such  con- 
trol without  either  the  knowledge  or  consent  of  his  subject. 

4.  Once  the  hypnotic  relation  is  established,  the  individual 
thus  subjected  becomes  the  helpless  instrument  of  his  hyp- 
notist.   As  such  he  executes  the  will  of  his  hypnotist  with  ab- 
solute fidelity. 

5.  By  the  same  unanswerable  evidence  it  is  established 
that  a  hypnotic  subject  under  control  may  be  compelled  to 
commit  any  crime  whatsoever  that  a  criminal  hypnotist  may 
conceive  and  command,  provided  its  execution  be  within  the 
possibility  of  the  subject's  powers. 

6.  This   is  equally   true  whether    hypnosis    be    induced 
forcibly  or  with  the  knowledge  and  consent  of  the  subject. 

7.  Quite  regardless  of  theories,  both  wise  and  otherwise, 
to  the  contrary,  it  is  a  fact  to  which  your  attention  is  specially 
called,  that  a  considerable  percentage  of  the  crime  of  our  own 
country  in  particular  is,  at  the  present  time,  inspired  by  hyp- 
notic and  mediumistic  processes  and  practices. 

8.  Wherever  this  fact  obtains  justice  universally  miscar- 
ries to  a  very  large  extent.     This  is  true  for  the  reason  that 
the  subject  alone  is  made  to  suffer  the  penalties  of  the  law, 
while  the  real  culprit,  the  hypnotist,  goes  entirely  unpunished. 

And  yet  there  are  serious  legal  difficulties  to  be  consid- 
ered in  this  connection.  As  soon  as  the  courts  have  taken 
judicial  cognizance  of  hypnotism  and  the  hypnotic  process 
as  established  facts,  it  must  be  expected  that  every  criminal 
in  the  country  will  endeavor  to  profit  by  such  a  finding.  It 
is  not  only  possible  but  probable  that  criminals  of  every  class 


374      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

will  endeavor  to  excuse  their  crimes  upon  the  ground  that 
they  were  committed  at  the  hypnotic  "suggestion"  of  some 
one  else. 

This  is,  indeed,  a  phase  of  the  subject  that  is  sure  to  pre- 
sent itself.  More  than  this,  it  is  one  that  will  call  for  the  ex- 
ercise of  your  best  intelligence  and  finest  discrimination.  It  is 
not  impossible  or  even  improbable  that  in  the  development  of 
this  subject  as  a  legal  proposition  a  few  of  the  guilty  may 
thus  escape  the  just  penalties  of  the  law.  But  when  necessity 
has  made  both  Bench  and  Bar  familiar  with  the  principle  and 
the  process  involved  your  intelligence  can  be  safely  relied 
upon  to  provide  a  complete  remedy  for  such  a  contingency. 

Furthermore,  as  an  ethical  proposition,  it  is  far  better  that 
a  few  of  the  guilty  should  escape  as  a  result  of  humane  cau- 
tion than  that  one  innocent  victim  should  suffer  an  unjust  pen- 
alty as  a  result  of  carelessness. 

9.  Not  only  is  a  large  percentage  of  the  crime  of  to-day 
due  to  hypnotism  and  mediumship  in  their  various  forms  and 
degrees,  but  by  the  hypnotic  process  civil  wrongs  are  also  ac- 
complished with  ease  and  facility,  and  the  mentally  passive 
or  weak  made  the  prey  of  the  mentally  strong.     Your  intelli- 
gence, unaided  by  further  suggestions,  will  forecast  the  many 
possibilities  which  lie  in  this  direction. 

10.  Your  attention  is  especially  called  to  the  advertise- 
ments of  the  leading  hypnotists  and  hypnotic  schools,  colleges 
and  institutes  in  all  the  large  cities  of  the  central  and  eastern 
states.     You  will  find  them  in  many  of  the  leading  metro- 
politan dailies,  weeklies  and  periodicals  throughout  the  coun- 
try.    The  nature  and   contents  of  these   advertisements,   as 
you  will  observe,  fully  sustain  every  statement  here  made,  and 
vastly  more. 

11.  Your  perfect  familiarity  with    the    nature,  meaning 
and  scope  of  contracts,  your  experience  in  determining  the  mo- 
tives of  men  from  the  nature  and  contents  of  their  own  delib- 
erate, formulated  utterances,  and  your  perfect  knowledge  of 
ethical  standards  which  fall  within  the  line  of  "public  policy," 
will  enable  you  to  quickly  determine  the  status  of  the  indi- 
viduals and  institutions  here  referred  to. 


ADMONITIONS  AND  SUGGESTIONS          375 

12.  If  they  do  what  they  advertise  and  guarantee  to  do, 
then  they  stand  before  the  community  as  self-confessed  crim- 
inals of  the  most  vicious  and  reprehensible  character.      As 
such,  they  are  a  perpetual  menace  to  society  and  morals.     In 
the  event  of  such  a  finding,  your  appreciation  of  the  respon- 
sibility resting  upon  you  as  guardians  of  public  decency  and 
the  general  welfare  must  impel  you  to  the  prompt  application 
of  every  honorable  means,  method  and  power  at  your  com- 
mand looking  to  their  immediate  and  permanent  suppression. 

13.  On  the  other  hand,  if  you  shall  find  that  they  are 
unable  to  invest  their  prospective  students  with  the  knowl- 
edge or  the  powers  they  advertise  and  guarantee,  then  your 
trained   intelligence   will  quickly  grasp  the   salient  fact  that 
these  advertisements  are  but  a  cunning  means  to  an  illegiti- 
mate end.     They  constitute  an  important  link  in  the  chain  of 
evidence,  establishing  the  fact  that  these  individuals  and  insti- 
tutions are  but  so  many   individual  and  corporate  criminals 
engaged  in  the  unlawful  business  of  obtaining  money  by  false 
and  fraudulent  pretenses. 

In  this  event  every  such  advertisement  sent  through  the 
United  States  Mails  constitutes  evidence  of  a  criminal  offense 
against  the  United  States  Government.  The  law  and  the  ma- 
chinery for  its  enforcement  are  both  entirely  adequate  to  pun- 
ish all  such  criminals  and  suppress  their  evil  practices,  as  soon 
as  the  facts  have  been  legally  established. 

Certainly  no  body  of  men  in  existence  is  so  well  equipped 
to  deal  fairly  and  intelligently  with  this  subject  and  the  prob- 
lems it  involves  as  the  American  Bench  and  Bar.  In  the 
spirit  of  the  most  profound  reverence  and  respect  your  atten- 
tion is  called  to  it  in  the  hope  that  this  brief  and  concrete 
presentation  of  the  subject  may,  perhaps,  suggest  to  you  a 
line  of  duty  and  responsibility  hitherto  unobserved. 

Another  interesting  line  of  thought  which  is  in  a  way 
kindred  to  the  subject  under  consideration  is  that  which  bears 
upon  a  class  of  crimes  with  which  you  are  already  familiar. 
It  is  a  fact  which  the  criminal  statistics  of  the  country  will 
fully  support,  that  drunkenness  is  the  most  prolific  single 
cause  of  crime  among  our  people. 


376      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

But  what  is  drunkenness  as  a  psychological  proposition? 
It  is  the  subjection  of  the  intelligence  to  the  effects  of  a  phys- 
ical stimulant. 

While  this  definition  is  one  which  you  might  be  disposed 
to  question  at  first  view,  its  accuracy  is  well  established  by 
the  position  which  you,  in  your  legal  capacity,  assume  toward 
the  drunkard. 

In  those  states  and  jurisdictions  where  drunkenness  in  it- 
self is  a  crime,  the  drunkard  is  punished  as  a  criminal  for  the 
act  of  getting  drunk.  This  is  upon  the  perfectly  rational 
ground  that  even  the  drunkard  (when  sober)  knows  that  it  is 
a  crime  to  get  drunk.  In  the  face  of  this  knowledge,  how- 
ever, he  goes  and  drinks  himself  into  a  state  of  drunkenness, 
well  knowing  the  penalty  therefor.  Having  knowingly  and 
intentionally  violated  the  law,  he  is  punished  accordingly. 

But  wherever  a  drunkard  commits  other  crimes  which  are 
inspired  by  the  influence  of  liquor  over  his  intelligence  and 
volition,  you  apply  a  wholly  different  rule.  In  this  case  you 
hold  that  to  whatever  extent  the  crime  was  inspired  by  the 
influence  of  liquor  over  him,  to  that  extent  he  should  be  re- 
lieved from  responsibility.  This  is  upon  the  theory  that  he 
did  not  act  of  his  own  free  and  rational  volition.  And  the 
rule  is  unquestionably  correct. 

The  interesting  phase  of  this  proposition  is  in  the  fact  that 
in  the  case  of  drunkenness  you  recognize  the  principle  of 
domination  and  control,  while  in  the  case  of  hypnotism  you 
do  not.  In  the  one  case  it  is  a  subjection  of  the  intelligence 
and  volition  of  the  individual  to  a  physical  stimulant.  In  the 
other  it  is  the  subjection  of  the  same  intelligence  to  the  domi- 
nation and  control  of  another  intelligence.  The  only  differ- 
ence, so  far  as  the  process  is  concerned,  is  that  in  the  one  case 
the  dominating  power  proceeds  from  the  physical  plane,  and 
in  the  other  it  proceeds  from  the  psychical  plane. 

In  the  one  case,  where  the  admitted  cause  of  the  crime  is 
an  irresponsible,  non-intelligent,  physical  substance  called 
liquor,  you  excuse  the  subject  (drunkard)  upon  the  ground 
that  the  crime  was  inspired  by  the  liquor  and  not  by  his  own 
intent.  In  the  other,  where  the-  inspiring  cause  of  the  crime 


ADMONITIONS  AND  SUGGESTIONS         377 

is  another  intelligence,  you  refuse  to  excuse  the  subject  upon 
the  assumption  that  he  alone  was  guilty. 

But,  reduced  to  its  simplest  expression,  what  is  the  prin- 
ciple involved?  It  is  merely  a  matter  of  Self-Control,  noth- 
ing more,  nothing  less. 

When  the  drunkard  absorbs  enough  alcohol  it  takes  pos- 
session of  his  intelligence.  In  other  words,  it  controls  him. 
In  proportion  as  he  is  controlled  by  the  stimulant  he  loses  his 
power  of  self-control.  Just  so  with  the  hypnotic  subject.  In 
proportion  as  he  falls  under  the  control  of  an  outside  intelli- 
gence he  also  loses  the  power  of  self-control. 

In  proportion  as  the  drunkard  loses  his  power  of  self-con- 
trol he  also  loses  his  sense  of  moral  accountability  and  sinks 
to  the  level  of  the  animal.  He  becomes  the  plaything  of  his 
own  appetites,  passions  and  desires,  and  is  more  a  beast  than 
a  man.  The  same  thing,  in  a  slightly  modified  form,  is  true 
of  the  hypnotic  subject. 

This  is  why  the  principle  of  temperance  (quite  aside  from 
the  question  of  expediency)  is,  in  essence,  superior  to  that 
of  prohibition.  The  man  who  is  able  to  walk  in  the  midst  of 
temptations  and  has  reached  that  degree  of  self-control  where 
he  is  strong  enough  in  his  own  right  to  live  a  clean  life,  is  a 
greater  soul  in  every  way  than  he  who  must  depend  upon 
statutes  to  banish  from  his  sight  and  reach  the  temptations  of 
'life. 

There  are  many  palliatives  for  drunkenness,  but  there  is 
only  one  cure.  That  is  the  development  of  self-control  suf- 
ficient to  withstand  by  his  own  efforts  the  allurements  and 
enticements  of  drink. 

There  is  but  one  cure  for  hypnotic  subjection.  That  is 
likewise  in  the  cultivation  of  the  power  of  self-control  suf- 
ficient to  withstand  the  assaults  of  all  the  hypnotists  in  the 
world. 

Whatever  view  of  this  subject  you  may  obtain,  it  is  one 
which  should  command  your  immediate  attention  and  enlist 
your  most  earnest  and  intelligent  consideration. 

While  the  hypnotic  subject,  in  the  largest  number  of  in- 
stances, is  a  fit  and  proper  object  of  commiseration  and  pity, 


378      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

it  must  be  remembered  that  he  is  but  the  logical  and  natural 
result  of  professional  hypnotism. 

Although  the  criminal  hypnotist  who  practices  his  insid- 
ious art  in  secret  and  under  cover  of  darkness  is  a  menace  to 
society  and  a  destructive  agency  more  dangerous  than  pesti- 
lence or  famine,  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  he  also  is  a 
legitimate  and  sequential  product  of  professional  hypnotism. 

Whilst  the  one  is  deserving  of  pity  and  the  other  of  con- 
demnation, neither  must  be  held  responsible  for  the  initial 
evil.  They  are  both  but  the  results  of  an  educational  training 
received  from  the  professional  hypnotist  or  from  the  schools, 
colleges  and  institutes  whose  advertisements  carry  the  nox- 
ious virus  of  moral  leprosy  into  thousands  of  homes  daily. 
And  these  destructive  results  will  continue  to  abide  with  us 
so  long  as  the  cause  which  produces  them — the  professional 
hypnotist — remains  unabated. 

Whatever  legal  solution  of  this  great  psychological  prob- 
lem you  may,  in  the  plenitude  of  your  wisdom,  hereafter  for- 
mulate, must  of  necessity  be  remedial  and  not  merely  pallia- 
tive. To  achieve  permanent  ethical  results  it  must  go  to  the 
primary  cause,  the  fountain  head  of  the  evil  stream,  if  it 
would  check  the  ever  swelling  tide  of  infectious  results. 

And  all  this  is  entirely  possible.  Moreover,  it  may  be  done 
without  in  the  least  infringing  upon  the  rights  or  natural  pre- 
rogatives of  individuals,  or  laying  arbitrary  and  burdensome 
restrictions  upon  those  who  are  devoted  to  the  cause  of  science 
or  to  the  conservation  of  the  health  or  happiness  of  the  people. 

To  you,  gentlemen,  naturally  and  rightfully  belong  the 
honor  and  the  labor  of  formulating  a  legal  remedy  which  shall 
successfully  guard  the  present  and  future  generations  of  our 
beloved  people  against  the  destructive  power  of  the  most 
seductive  and  insidious  crime  in  the  calendar  of  Nature,  THE 
GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME. 

VIII. 

To  THE  PHYSICIAN. 

For  more  than  six  hundred  years  the  wisest  and  best  men 
of  the  most  progressive  nations  of  earth  have  given  their 


ADMONITIONS  AND  SUGGESTIONS         379 

lives  and  their  energies  to  the  development  of  medical  science. 
As  a  result  they  have  evolved  an  empirical  system  which 
should  command  the  respect  as  well  as  the  admiration  of  all 
intelligent  and  unprejudiced  students  of  science  and  patrons 
of  progressive  education. 

The  crystallized  results  of  all  this  noble  work  are  but  im- 
perfectly shown  in  the  materia  medica  of  to-day  with  which 
you  are  familiar  and  in  accordance  with  which  you  have 
wrought  many  beneficent  results. 

No  one  but  the  fanatic,  the  deliberately  vicious  or  the  ex- 
ceedingly ignorant  will  ever  condemn  you  for  entertaining  a 
natural  and  modest  pride  in  the  merits  of  your  profession 
and  in  the  exact  knowledge  upon  which  it  is  founded. 

But  materia  medica,  as  the  average  member  of  your  school 
and  profession  knows  and  applies  it,  represents  but  one  side 
of  the  great  three-sided  problem  of  Therapeutics  in  general. 
To  such  as  these  the  existence  of  disease,  as  well  as  its  cure, 
is  a  purely  physical  proposition.  It  is  therefore  perfectly 
natural  and  entirely  consistent  for  them  to  limit  their  profes- 
sional efforts  to  the  purely  physical  aspect  of  the  subject.  In 
truth,  they  recognize  no  other. 

To  those  who  understand  the  great  problem  in  its  three- 
fold aspect  the  comparatively  meager  results  obtained  by  the 
strictly  materialistic  physician  along  purely  conventional  lines 
are  entirely  consistent  with  the  limited  view-point  from  which 
he  proceeds. 

But  it  is  a  matter  of  profound  satisfaction  to  the  School 
of  Natural  Science  that  the  brightest,  most  intelligent,  stu- 
dious and  progressive  members  of  your  profession  are  be- 
ginning to  recognize  both  the  spirituality  and  the  psychology 
of  medicine.  Some  of  you  (not  many,  it  is  true)  have  not 
only  recognized  the  psychological  aspect  of  disease  and  its 
cure,  but  you  have  gone  further  and  inquired  into  the  funda- 
mental principle  which  underlies  the  entire  subject  of  Thera- 
peutics. Some  of  you  have  gone  far  enough  along  these  lines 
to  have  demonstrated  a  number  of  interesting  propositions  not 
heretofore  known  or  recognized  by  the  acknowledged  "Regu- 
lar" schools  of  medicine. 


380      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

It  is  true  that  for  reasons  which  appear  entirely  adequate 
to  you,  those  of  your  fellows  who  represent  the  conventional 
average  have  not,  as  yet,  been  admitted  to  your  confidence. 
There  are,  perhaps,  few  men  of  the  present  generation  in  posi- 
tion to  so  fully  understand  and  appreciate,  as  does  the  writer, 
the  considerations  which  prompt  you  to  silence  concerning  the 
results  of  your  researches.  More  than  twenty  years  of  unre- 
mitting effort  and  personal  experience,  however,  have  taught 
him  the  humiliating  lesson  from  which  your  greater  discretion 
and  sense  of  self-preservation  have  spared  you. 

But  the  hour  is  coming  and  is,  in  truth,  now  at  hand,  when 
you  must  overstep  the  conventional  barriers  and  limitations 
of  your  profession  far  enough  to  come  forward,  shoulder  your 
own  burden  of  individual  responsibility  and  take  your  rightful 
place  in  the  ranks  of  the  world's  independent  and  courageous 
workers  and  share  with  them  both  the  labor  and  the  honor,  as 
well  as  the  criticism,  if  need  be,  of  enlightening  our  brothers 
who  yet  walk  in  darkness. 

There  is  no  individual  living  whose  line  of  approach  to 
the  homes  and  the  confidence  of  his  fellows  is  so  direct  and 
so  free  from  obstacles  as  yours.  Your  opportunities  for  good 
are  therefore  paramount.  For  this  reason  your  irresistible 
influence  is  felt  in  every  home  throughout  the  land.  For  this 
reason  also  you  occupy  a  front  rank  among  educators  and 
molders  of  public  thought  all  over  the  civilized  world.  For 
the  same  reason  your  profession,  your  position  and  your  prac- 
tice lay  upon  you  a  burden  of  individual  responsibility  far 
greater  than  that  which  rests  upon  the  average  member  of 
society. 

In  view  of  these  facts,  with  which  you  are  already  familiar, 
you  cannot  afford  to  dogmatize.  You  cannot  afford  to  set 
conventional  limitations  upon  the  possibilities  of  human 
achievement  and  human  knowledge.  You  cannot  afford  to 
stultify  your  own  intelligence  by  fixing  arbitrary  limitations 
for  the  operation  of  all  human  intelligence.  Neither  can  you 
afford  to  set  yourself  in  opposition  to  a  demonstrated  fact  of 
science  merely  because  it  may  not  be  recognized  as  such  by 
the  particular  school  you  happen  to  represent.  To  do  so  is 


ADMONITIONS  AND  SUGGESTIONS         381 

only  to  plant  yourself  squarely  in  front  of  the  wheels  of  prog- 
ress. You  know  the  inevitable  penalty  for  such  indiscretion. 
If  not,  it  will  require  but  a  very  brief  reading  of  history  to 
disclose  to  you  the  fate  of  those  who  throughout  the  past  have 
thus  attempted  to  stop  the  onward  movement  of  civilization. 

By  reason  of  the  peculiar  relation  of  professional  and  per- 
sonal confidence  you  sustain  to  your  fellow  men  and  women 
it  is  your  bounden  duty  to  know  whatever  there  is  to  be  known 
bearing  upon  the  great  problems  of  disease,  death,  health  and 
life.  To  do  this  you  must  not  only  be  a  representative  of 
your  own  particular  school,  but  you  must  be  as  broad  and  as 
comprehensive  as  all  the  schools  of  medicine  and  therapeutics 
combined. 

While  the  acknowledged  intent  of  your  profession  and  the 
purpose  of  your  individual  life  and  work  are  constructive  in 
their  nature,  yet  it  is  necessary  for  you  to  know  with  equal 
exactness  and  certainty  the  Destructive  Principle  of  Nature 
in  Individual  Life.  Your  knowledge  of  the  one  implies  also 
your  knowledge  of  the  other.  This  is  necessarily  true  in  order 
that  you  may  be  able  to  properly  differentiate  between  de- 
structive and  constructive  processes  and  agencies. 

This  fact  is  everywhere  patent  in  the  practice  of  your  pro- 
fession. It  is  admitted  on  every  page  of  your  acknowledged 
medical  authorities.  In  your  study  of  medicines  you  find  it  as 
,  necessary  to  know  what  drugs  are  destructive  in  their  effects 
as  to  know  those  that  are  remedial.  Otherwise  you  are  as 
likely  to  administer  a  poison  as  a  panacea,  as  liable  to  kill 
as  to  cure. 

The  time  is  at  hand  when  you  must  know  the  psychology 
of  your  profession  as  well  as  its  physiology.  You  must  know 
the  destructive  psychological  process  of  Nature  as  well  as  the 
constructive.  You  must  know  both  in  order  that  you  may  be 
able  to  clearly  and  accurately  differentiate  between  them. 
This  is  an  absolute  necessity  in  order  that  you  shall  make  no 
mistakes  in  your  application  of  them. 

With  this  end  in  view,  it  is  proper  for  you  to  know  and 
appreciate  the  fact  that  the  designing  hypnotist,  in  the  name 
of  "science,"  has  already  abused  the  confidence  you  have  re- 


382       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

posed  in  him.  By  his  subtle  abuse  of  one  of  your  most  harm- 
less, familiar  and  appropriate  scientific  terms,  the  term  "sug- 
gestion," he  has  accomplished  at  least  two  false  and  fraudu- 
lent ends,  both  of  which  reflect  discredit  upon  your  intelli- 
gence as  well  as  your  integrity,  and  place  you  in  a  wholly  false 
position  before  the  world. 

i.  By  his  subtle  misapplication  of  the  word  "suggestion" 
he  would  lead,  and  has  actually  led,  the  public  to  believe  that 
the  thousands  of  wonderful  cures  wrought  by  you  through 
the  natural  and  legitimate  processes  of  normal,  independent 
suggestion  are,  in  fact,  all  due  entirely  to  hypnotism  and  the 
processes  of  so-called  hypnotic  "suggestion." 

This,  as  you  well  know,  is  as  false  as  it  is  subtle.  It  is  a 
fallacy  you  cannot  afford  to  tolerate  if  you  prize  your  future 
reputation  for  professional  honor  and  personal  integrity,  for 
the  time  is  at  hand  when  the  truth  must  and  will  be  known. 

2..  By  his  artful  abuse  of  this  same  innocent  and  respect- 
able word  he  makes  it  appear  that  every  member  of  your  pro- 
fession who  employs  normal,  independent  suggestion  in  his 
practice  is  a  professional  hypnotist  engaged  in  the  active  prac- 
tice of  hypnotism. 

He  would  convey  to  the  innocent  public  (and  has  already 
done  so  with  telling  effect)  the  impression  that  every  simple 
and  normal  suggestion  employed  by  you  to  inspire  in  the 
minds  •  of  your  patients  a  therapeutic  faith,  is  but  another 
phase  of  the  black  art  by  which  he  paralyzes  the  will  and  vol- 
untary powers  of  his  hypnotic  subjects  and  makes  them  help- 
less instruments  of  his  dominant  will  and  questionable  desires. 
He  has  even  gone  so  far  as  to  impress  the  thought  upon  the 
minds  of  the  unsophisticated  that  the  healthful,  spiritual  and 
physical  magnetism  which  every  advanced  physician  of  to-day 
carries  into  the  sick  room  as  a  healthful  influence,  is  but  an- 
other form  of  hypnotism  or  hypnotic  "suggestion." 

If  you  are  not  already  familiar  with  these  facts  the  inter- 
ests of  your  profession  as  well  as  your  individual  interests 
demand  that  you  become  so  at  once.  The  time  has  come  when 
they  will  meet  you  at  every  turn  of  your  professional  path- 
way. They  will  be  thrust  upon  your  attention  whether  you 


ADMONITIONS  AND  SUGGESTIONS          383 

will  it  or  not.  In  exact  proportion  as  you  come  into  posses- 
sion of  the  facts  and  understand  their  meaning  you  will  recog- 
nize the  equivocal  position  in  which  you  and  your  profession 
have  been  placed  relative  to  the  subjective,  psychic  process  of 
hypnotism. 

In  view  of  the  facts  here  presented,  together  with  such  as 
you  may  easily  obtain  independently,  it  may  not  be  deemed 
presumptuous  to  suggest  the  natural  and  proper  remedy.  It 
is  this :  In  all  your  public  and  private  utterances,  both  pub- 
lished and  unpublished,  set  yourself  the  task  and  charge  your- 
self with  the  duty  of  hereafter  clearly,  explicitly  and  unmis- 
takably differentiating  at  all  times  between  normal,  inde- 
pendent suggestion,  which  is  at  the  basis  of  all  therapeutic 
faith,  and  hypnotism,  which  is  under  all  conditions  and  cir- 
cumstances a  subjective,  psychic  process  of  the  most  destruc- 
tive character.  Make  it  clear  that  so-called  hypnotic  "sug- 
gestion" is  a  misnomer  and  a-  libel  and  is  at  all  times  equiva- 
lent to  an  "irresistible  impulse  or  command." 

Set  yourself  and  your  profession  squarely  and  unequivo- 
cally before  the  world  as  unalterably  opposed  to  all  subjec- 
tive, psychic  processes  and  practices,  for  the  reason  that  they 
are  destructive  in  their  essential  nature  and  as  such  deprive 
their  subjects  of  the  power  of  self-control  as  well  as  the  abil- 
ity to  exercise  those  faculties,  capacities  and  powers  of  the 
•  soul  upon  which  their  individual  responsibility  depends. 

If  you  have  followed  the  text  of  this  volume  from  the 
beginning  and  have  been  impressed  with  its  honesty  and  sin- 
cerity, it  is  fair  to  assume  that  the  subject  of  insanity  presents 
itself  to  you  in  a  somewhat  different  aspect  from  that  in  which 
your  profession,  generally  speaking,  has  heretofore  viewed  it. 

Although  it  is  conceded  that  the  view  here  presented  may 
not  be,  to  you,  professionally  orthodox,  nevertheless  it  is  ear- 
nestly hoped  that  the  facts  recorded  will  be  deemed  sufficient 
to  warrant  at  least  a  non-professional  inquiry  on  your  part 
along  the  lines  indicated. 

If  such  should  be  the  case,  then  for  your  especial  benefit 
in  this  connection  it  is  here  stated,  for  what  it  may  be  worth 
to  you,  that  under  and  in  accordance  with  the  exact  methods 


384:      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

of  Natural  Science  six  hundred  examinations  have  been  made 
of  an  equal  number  of  so-called  insane  inmates  of  one  of  the 
leading  insane  asylums  of  the  country.  Of  the  number  thus 
examined  349  were  found  to  be  in  a  subjective,  psychic  con- 
dition, under  the  hypnotic  domination  and  control  of  outside 
spiritual  intelligences.  These  were  treated  according  to  the 
diagnoses  in  conformity  with  the  methods  of  Natural  Science, 
the  results  show  349  cures.  In  other  words,  out  of  the  entire 
number  treated  not  a  single  failure  resulted. 

This  record  speaks  for  itself.  Indeed,  it  speaks  more  elo- 
quently than  all  the  theories,  speculations,  suppositions  and 
assumptions  combined,  which  constitute  so  large  a  part  of  the 
medical  literature  pertaining  to  the  great  general  subject  of 
insanity.  This  statement  is  made  without  prejudice,  for  the 
difficulties  which  surround  and  have  accompanied  the  develop- 
ment of  this  particular  branch  of  medical  science  are  fully  un- 
derstood and  appreciated.  As  far  as  your  specialists  have 
gone  their  work  has  been  most  creditable  in  every  particular. 

In  view  of  the  record,  however,  it  would  appear  to  the 
writer  that  whatever  views  you  may  entertain  concerning  the 
causes  of  insanity  in  the  349  cases  above  referred  to,  the 
record  in  itself  is  worthy  of  your  thoughtful  consideration. 
The  simple  fact  that  all  these  cases  were  treated  upon  the 
theory  of  hypnotic  control  by  outside  spiritual  intelligences, 
and  the  treatment  prescribed  was  successful  in  every  instance, 
should  be  sufficient  to  establish  in  your  professional  mind  the 
reasonable  presumption  that  the  diagnoses  were  correct.  Oth- 
erwise the  logic  of  facts  is  without  meaning  or  value. 

IX. 

To  MASTER  MASONS. 
What  makes  you  a  Mason? 

The  true  Masonic  answer  to  this  crucial  question  indelibly 
impresses  itself  upon  the  mind,  memory  and  moral  conscious- 
ness of  every  just  and  upright  Mason. 

You  who  have  pondered  well  its  scope  and  its  meaning 
and  have  heeded  the  timely  admonition  of  the  Master,  know 
full  well  the  responsibilities  you  assumed  before  God  and  man 


ADMONITIONS  AND  SUGGESTIONS         385 

and  your  own  conscience  when  you  voluntarily  took  upon 
yourself  the  solemn  and  binding  obligation  of  a  Master 
Mason. 

But  why  should  the  writer  of  this  particular  volume  thus 
publicly  approach  you  upon  the  level  of  your  Masonic  pro- 
fession? By  what  right  or  benefit  does  he  expect  to  gain  ad- 
mittance to  your  confidence  or  hope  to  enlist  your  active  in- 
terest, sympathy  and  co-operation  in  the  noblest  cause  that 
ever  inspired  the  illumined  soul  of  a  Master  Mason?  Let 
the  sequel  answer 

From  the  dawn  of  civilization  to  the  present  moment,  two 
active  and  opposing  forces  have  been  engaged  in  deadly  con- 
flict over  the  destiny  of  human  intelligence. 

One  of  these  has  ever  been  the  unfaltering,  courageous  and 
consistent  champion  of  individual  life,  individual  liberty  and 
individual  happiness.  The  other  has,  with  equal  consistency 
and  persistency,  sought  to  dominate  and  control  the  life,  intel- 
ligence and  conscience  of  the  individual  and  subject  him  to 
intellectual  bondage  and  servitude. 

The  one  has  openly  fostered  the  spirit  of  freedom  and  in- 
dependence as  a  basic  principle  of  individual  and  organic 
human  life.  The  other  has  covertly  sought  to  reduce  the  in- 
dividual to  the  status  of  a  mere  instrument  in  the  hands  and 
under  the  domination  and  control  of  an  aggregate  organic  will 
'and  design. 

The  one  has  dignified  and  emphasized  the  individual  intel- 
ligence and  appreciated  its  value  to  both  itself  and  society. 
The  other  has  persistently  ignored  the  great  fundamental  fact 
of  Nature,  that  the  individual  in  his  own  right,  as  such,  is 
invested  with  certain  indefeasible  attributes  and  certain  in- 
alienable rights,  privileges  and  benefits  which  must  be  re- 
spected. 

The  one  has  recognized  the  fact  that  man's  value  to  him- 
self as  an  individual  is  the  only  sure  and  true  measure  of  his 
value  as  an  active,  living  factor  In  the  social  organism  of 
which  he  is  a  part.  The  other  has  proceeded  as  if  upon  the 
assumption  that  man  has  but  one  value,  namely,  his  value  to 
the  great  aggregate  body  of  which  he  is  a  part,  and  that  his 


386      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

value,  even  in  that  capacity,  is  measured  by  the  degree  to 
which  his  individual  will,  intelligence  and  conscience  are  sub- 
ject to  the  domination  and  control  of  that  aggregate  body. 

The  one  develops  individual  Intelligence,  Courage  and 
Perseverance  and  a  sense  of  Individual  Responsibility  through 
the  power  and  process  of  a  broad  and  liberal  education.  The 
other  commands  obedience  and  subjection  through  the  power 
of  Ignorance,  Superstition  and  Fear. 

At  the  very  cradle  of  humanity  these  two  forces  arrayed 
themselves  in  an  irrepressible  conflict.  At  that  point  the 
struggle  began.  From  that  point  forward  throughout  all  the 
subsequent  ages,  even  to  the  present  time,  it  has  continued 
unabated.  At  no  time  within  the  limits  of  authentic  history 
has  the  conflict  reached  a  more  critical  stage  than  in  this,  the 
dawning  of  the  twentieth  Christian  century. 

And  who  are  the  contending  parties  to  this  vital  conflict? 

Broadly  and  abstractly  speaking,  they  are  Light  and  Dark- 
ness, Truth  and  Falsehood,  Construction  and  Destruction, 
Life  and  Death,  the  Widow's  Son  and  the  Ruffians.  But  more 
specifically  and  concretely,  they  are  the  two  most  powerful 
organic  bodies  of  intelligence  upon  earth,  together  with  the 
individual  intelligences  who  have  voluntarily  arrayed  them- 
selves upon  opposite  sides  of  the  two  great  principles  involved 
in  the  struggle. 

But  to  what  great  organic  bodies  is  reference  here  made? 
It  is  sufficient  at  this  time  to  state  that  one  is  the  great  organic 
body  of  Masonry,  together  with  the  parent  organization  from 
which  it  received  its  noble  inspirations  to  Life,  Liberty  and 
Happiness. 

What,  then,  is  your  place  in  this  conflict?  Where  do  you 
as  an  individual  belong?  Every  just  and  upright  Mason 
knows  the  answer.  Every  true  and  loyal  Brother  knows  his 
place.  Those  whose  privilege  it  is  to  walk  within  the  sublime 
radiance  of  the  Three  Great  Lights  can  never  become  the 
champions  of  Darkness,  Falsehood,  Death,  Destruction  or  the 
Ruffians.  Your  place  is  in  the  serried  columns  of  Light, 
Truth  and  Life,  and  beneath  the  radiant  and  glorious  banner 
of  the  Son. 


ADMONITIONS     AND     SUGGESTIONS       387 

In  common  with  all  your  Brother  Masons,  you  revere  the 
Order  and  the  institution  of  Masonry,  among  other  things, 
for  its  great  antiquity.  But  do  you  know  the  real  origin  of 
this  ancient  Brotherhood?  Perhaps  not.  Even  the  most 
learned  historians  of  the  Order  to-day  confess  their  inability 
to  mark  either  the  time  or  the  place  of  its  birth. 

And  yet  the  origin  and  the  history  of  Masonry  are  known. 
More  than  this,  they  are  matters  of  record.  The  record  is 
authentic  and  unbroken.  It  is  definite  and  certain.  It  runs 
like  a  thread  of  golden  light  backward  to  the  very  infancy  of 
the  human  race. 

Every  Master  Mason  who  has  given  the  subject  serious 
thought,  although  unable  to  fix  the  date  or  the  location  of 
its  origin,  has  reached  an  unalterable  conclusion.  He  has 
become  impressed  with  the  strange  and  almost  startling  con- 
sciousness that  Masonry,  in  its  present  organic  form,  is  but 
a  continuation,  transformation  or  metamorphosis  from  a 
more  ancient  organization  whose  records  and  history  far  an- 
tedate all  that  is  known  today  as  exoteric. 

No  more  perfect  illustration  of  what  we  term  "intuitive 
knowledge"  could  be  presented  than  this  strange  conscious- 
ness concerning  the  origin  and  history  of  Masonry.  For 
it  is  indeed  a  fact  that  this  mysterious  intuition  is  but  the 
conscious  recognition  of  a  sublime  truth  whose  radiance 
has  illumined  the  pathway  of  human  liberty  and  human  prog- 
ress throughout  the  ages. 

The  Spirit  of  Masonry  at  every  point  in  the  journey  of 
human  life  has  spread  its  beneficent  influence,  like  a  protect- 
ing mantle,  over  the  rights,  duties,  privileges,  obligations  and 
liberties  of  mankind. 

No  more  striking  illustration  of  this  sublime  truth  is 
known  to  history  than  the  spirit  which  everywhere  manifests 
itself  in  the  familiar  records  upon  which  our  own  beloved 
country  depends  for  its  organic  national  existence. 

It  was  the  Spirit  of  Freemasonry,  as  well  as  the  Soul  of 
a  great  Mason,  that  injected  into  our  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence this  sublime  and  living  sentiment: 

"We  hold  these  truths  to  be  self-evident:    That  all  men 


388      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

are  created  equal,  that  they  are  endowed  by  their  Creator 
with  certain  unalienablc  Rights,  that  among  these  are  Life, 
Liberty  and  the  pursuit  of  Happiness;  that  to  secure  these 
rights  Governments  are  instituted  among  men,  deriving  their 
just  powers  from  the  consent  of  the  governed;  that  whenever 
any  Form  of  Government  becomes  destructive  of  these  ends 
it  is  the  Right  of  the  People  to  alter  or  abolish  it,  and  to  in- 
stitute new  Government,  laying  its  foundation  on  such  prin- 
ciples, and  organizing  its  powers  in  such  form,  as  to  them 
shall  seem  most  likely  to  effect  their  Safety  and  Happiness." 

It  was  the  same  Spirit,  and  a  kindred  intelligence,  that 
formulated  these  profoundly  significant  words  constituting  the 
preamble  of  our  National  Constitution : 

"We,  the  People  of  the  United  States,  in  Order  to  form  a 
more  perfect  Union,  establish  Justice,  insure  domestic  Tran- 
quillity, provide  for  the  common  Defense,  promote  the  gen- 
eral Welfare  and  secure  the  Blessings  of  Liberty  to  ourselves 
and  our  Posterity,  do  ordain  and  establish  this  Constitution 
for  the  United  States  of  America." 

It  was  the  spirit  of  Freemasonry  that  unanimously 
selected  a  great  Mason  as  the  first  President  to  inaugurate 
our  government  upon  the  time-honored  Masonic  principles  of 
Equity,  Justice  and  Right,  for  the  preservation  and  perpetu- 
ation of  individual  human  liberty. 

At  every  point  in  the  onward  and  upward  progress  of 
our  national  evolution  it  has  been  the  same  broad,  gracious 
but  uncompromising  Spirit  of  Individual  Liberty,  together 
with  its  unfaltering  love  of  Human  Freedom  and  its  un- 
quenchable thirst  for  Knowledge  and  Education,  that  has  thus 
far  defeated  the  subtle  and  persistent  efforts  of  opposing 
forces  to  subvert  and  subordinate  the  power,  the  dignity  and 
the  vitality  of  the  State  to  ecclesiastical  authority  and  control. 

It  has  been  and  is  the  Spirit  of  Masonry,  under  the  guid- 
ing intelligence  of  a  great  Mason,  aided  and  supported  by  a 
devoted  Craft,  that  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  has 
held  aloft  the  sacred  ensign  of  Human  Liberty  over  the  homes 
and  the  people  of  our  sister  republic  of  Mexico. 

To  the  same  exalted  Spirit  from  which  the  sublime  Order 


ADMONITIONS     AND     SUGGESTIONS       389 

of  Masonry  has  received  its  noble  inspirations,  and  to  the 
unselfish  devotion  of  those  who  are  able  to  rise  to  the  level 
of  this  fundamental  principle  of  Individual  Liberty,  present 
and  future  generations  of  our  beloved  people  must  look  for 
the  preservation  and  perpetuation  of  those  inalienable  rights 
upon  which  the  government  of  a  free  and  enlightened  people 
must  ever  depend. 

The  body  of  this  work  has  been  devoted  to  an  exposition 
of  the  Great  Psychological  Crime,  as  it  is  exemplified  in  in- 
dividual life  by  the  subjective,  psychic  processes  of  Hypnot- 
ism and  Mediumship.  The  one  specific  purpose  has  been  to 
present  to  the  reader  as  graphically  as  possible  a  definite  out- 
line of  the  Destructive  Principle  of  Nature  in  Individual  Life. 
Of  necessity,  therefore,  the  subject  has  been  limited  almost 
entirely  to  its  aspect  as  an  individual  problem  of  human  life. 

Let  it  be  distinctly  understood,  however,  that  the  same 
Destructive  Principle  of  Nature  by  which  one  individual  in- 
telligence paralyzes  the  will  and  voluntary  powers  of  another 
may,  in  a  more  general  form,  be  invoked  by  organic  bodies  of 
individuals,  if  the  purpose  and  intent  be  present  and  the  aggre- 
gate will  to  execute  them  be  sufficient. 

This  great  fact  has  been  profoundly  demonstrated  through- 
out the  ages.  It  is  written  in  letters  of  blood  upon  every  page 
of  human  history.  It  constitutes  one  of  the  most  fascinating 
problems  of  human  life  and  human  interest.  It  tempts  the 
willing  mind  to  further  and  more  specific  revelations. 

But  the  limitations  of  this  work  have  been  reached.  The 
task  is  finished.  These  prescribed  limitations  preclude  fur- 
ther exposition  of  or  reference  to  the  two  great  Spiritual 
Schools,  one  of  which  has  developed  and  the  other  dominated 
human  intelligence  and  conscience  throughout  the  ages ;  those 
two  great,  silent,  powerful  and  vitally  antagonistic  currents 
which  at  their  intersections  have  given  to  the  world  an  Ex- 
odus, a  Crucifixion,  an  Inquisition,  a  Protestation  and  a  Refor- 
mation. 

To  ancient  India  and  to  Ancient  Egypt  clear,  unbroken 
pathways  run,  backward  to  the  organized  centers  of  Intellec- 


390      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

tual  Liberty  on  the  one  hand  and  Intellectual  Bondage  upon 
the  other. 

The  selfish  and  ambitious  misapplication  of  knowledge  and 
the  abuse  of  power  are  the  unmistakable  due  guard  and  sign 
of  Egyptian  Black  Magic. 

The  applied  principles  of  Fraternity,  Equality  and  Human 
Liberty  have  been  and  are  the  perpetual  symbols  of  "The 
Wise  Men  of  the  East,"  and  the  purity  of  their  perfect  con- 
ception constitutes  the  spotless  Badge  of  a  Master  Mason. 

PAX  VOBISCUM. 


Cbcoricsor  "ClK  Wise  men 


Supplementary 


The  Genesis  of  Dogma 


If  our  modern  scientific  thinkers,  investigators  and  writers 
could  be  prevailed  upon  carefully  to  tabulate  under  separate 
heads  their  "facts"  and  their  "theories"  and  speculations  con- 
cerning those  facts,  it  would  materially  simplify  the  work  of 
their  students  and  readers  and  avoid  the  most  prolific  source 
of  confusion  which  prevails  in  almost  every  department  of 
scientific  investigation  and  thought. 

It  is  not  in  the  spirit  of  hostility  nor  unfriendly  criticism 
that  this  suggestion  is  offered,  but  rather  as  a  friendly  ob- 
servation from  one  who  has  often  encountered  the  perplexing 
difficulty  referred  to. 

We  all  love  to  theorize  and  speculate  upon  the  things  that 
are  out  beyond  the  range  of  our  definite  personal  knowledge. 
It  is  a  part  of  our  natures  to  do  so.  To  many  of  us  it  takes 
the  place  of  intellectual  recreation  and  entertainment.  This  is 
more  especially  true  among  scientists  and  philosophers. 

The  scientist  discovers  what  he  recognizes  as  a  "fact." 
His  mind  at  once  demands  to  know  its  meaning  and  value. 
If,  perchance,  it  should  lie  outside  the  sequential  line  of  those 
facts  with  which  he  is  already  familiar,  he  studies  it,  reasons 
upon  it,  speculates  about  it  and  theorizes  over  it  until  he 
reaches  a  conclusion.  No  matter  how  remote  that  conclusion 
may  chance  to  be  from  the  truth,  if  he  is  for  the  time  being 
satisfied  with  it,  he  is  strongly  impelled  to  give  it  to  the  world 
along  with  the  fact. 

We  all  possess,  to  some  extent,  either  consciously  or  other- 

391 


3l«2      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

wise,  a  feeling  of  admiration  for  the  man  who  discovers  a  fact 
in  Nature  and  gives  it  to  the  world.  For  this  reason  we  are 
much  inclined  to  entertain  favorably  whatever  theories  he 
may  be  impelled  to  present  along  with  it. 

Therefore,  unless  he  is  exceedingly  explicit  and  thought- 
ful of  the  manner  in  which  he  distinguishes  his  fact  from  his 
theories  and  speculations  concerning  it,  we  who  follow  him 
fail  to  differentiate  between  them. 

As  a  natural  result  of  these  conditions,  the  vast  body  of 
what  we  have  been  pleased  to  designate  as  "Science"  is  made 
up  of  a  comparatively  few  demonstrated  facts,  mixed  with  an 
enormous  quantity  of  theories,  both  wise  and  otherwise.  This 
excessive  adulteration  has  produced  a  compound  which  defies 
analysis  and  leaves  the  student  in  a  state  of  almost  hopeless 
confusion. 

It  is  the  purpose  of  this  work,  as  far  as  may  be  possible, 
carefully  to  differentiate  between  the  facts  of  science  and  the 
theories  of  men  concerning  those  facts.  For  this  reason  spe- 
cial attention  is  called  to  the  fact  that  in  the  preceding  chap- 
ters will  be  found  only  such  matter  as  has  been  absolutely 
demonstrated  by  Natural  Science.  The  definite  statements 
and  declarations  therein  contained  may,  therefore,  be  ac- 
cepted and  classified  under  the  head  of  "Facts  Demonstrated," 
upon  which  the  reader  is  entitled  to  draw  his  own  conclu- 
sions and  postulate  as  many  theories  as  his  intelligence  may 
be  able  to  formulate. 

The  specific  intent  of  this  supplementary  chapter  is  to  out- 
line as  accurately  and  as  carefully  as  possible  a  few  of  the 
most  important  theories  which  the  Wise  Men  of  the  ages  on 
both  planes  of  life  have  formulated  relative  to  some  of  the 
facts  stated  in  preceding  chapters. 

In  order  that  there  shall  be  no  misapprehension  nor  un- 
certainty in  the  mind  of  the  reader,  these  theories  will  be  con- 
fined to  a  supplementary  chapter  by  themselves,  carefully 
labeled  as  such  at  the  beginning. 

The  only  reason  or  excuse  for  presenting  them  at  all  in 
connection  with  this  work  is  that  they  will  doubtless  give  to 
the  intelligent  student  a  valuable  suggestion  as  to  the  specific 
lines  of  inquiry  along  which  the  most  enlightened  scientific 
intelligence  throughout  the  ages  has  been  and  still  is  moving. 

In  Part  II,  Chapter  IV,  paragraphs  n  and  12,  it  is  stated 
as  an  unqualified  fact  of  science  that  animals,  in  the  course 


THE  GENESIS  OF  DOGMA 393 

of  the  years,  disappear  from  the  spiritual  plane  of  the  animal 
kingdom,  and  that  they  do  not  reappear  (at  least  in  identical 
or  distinguishable  form)  upon  any  of  the  planes  of  spiritual 
life  which  are  distinctively  related  to  this  particular  planet. 

The  natural  inquiry  of  every  intelligent  mind  is,  "What 
becomes  of  them?"  The  inquiry  thus  far  remains  unan- 
swered so  far  as  science  is  concerned.  The  Wise  Men  of 
both  the  physical  and  spiritual  planes  of  life  have  brought  to 
bear  upon  the  problem  all  the  knowledge  and  intelligence  they 
possess.  Thus  far,  however,  the  scientific  demonstration  lies 
beyond  the  limits  of  their  understanding. 

With  a  view  to  its  possible  solution,  however,  the  follow- 
ing widely  different  hypotheses  have  been  made  the  bases  of 
their  study  and  investigation : 

FIRST  HYPOTHESIS. 

It  is  assumed  that  the  disappearance  is  but  a  transition  in 
the  upward  movement  of  the  individual  ego,  or  entity,  in  its 
evolutionary  progress  toward  a  higher  state  of  individualized 
intelligence  and  being. 

This  theory  involves  the  process  of  metempsychosis  or 
transmigration,  through  the  operation  of  which  the  animal 
ego  is  supposed  to  be  transferred  from  the  spiritual  plane  to 
the  physical  organism  of  a  higher  order  of  life  and  intelli- 
gence upon  the  physical  plane.  Here  again  it  undergoes  the 
progressive  processes  of  physical  growth,  development,  ma- 
turity, decline,  old  age  and  death,  at  which  last  named  point 
it  returns  again  to  the  spiritual  plane  one  round  higher  in  the 
evolutionary  process. 

Again,  it  is  supposed  to  disappear  from  the  spiritual  plane 
and  reappear  in  a  higher  order  of  physical  life,  only  to  go 
through  the  same  process  of  physical  growth,  development, 
maturity,  decline,  old  age,  decay  and  death  and  reappear- 
ance upon  the  spiritual  plane  of  animal  life,  each  time  repre- 
senting a  higher  order  of  individualized  intelligence  and 
being. 

This  evolutionary  process  is  supposed  to  continue  until 
the  highest  form  of  individualized  animal  intelligence  disap- 
pears from  the  spiritual  plane  of  animal  life,  only  to  make  its 
appearance  upon  the  physical  plane  in  the  lowest  form  of 
human  life  and  intelligence. 


394:      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

At  this  point  in  the  evolutionary  process  involuntary 
metempsychosis,  or  transmigration,  is  supposed  to  cease  and 
voluntary  "reincarnation"  begin. 

To  the  foregoing  general  theory,  or  working  hypothesis, 
the  reader  will  be  able  to  trace  a  number  of  the  most  con- 
spicuous and  interesting  tenets  of  both  theology  and  science 
as  well  as  of  ancient  philosophies. 

For  illustration : 

1.  We  have  the  doctrine  of  the  transmigration  of  souls. 
This  doctrine,  as  it  has  appeared  from  time  to  time  upon  the 
physical  plane,  is  evidently  referable  to  the  foregoing  theory, 
or  working  hypothesis  of  the  Wise  Men,  concerning  the  disap- 
pearance of  the  animal   from   the   spiritual  plane  of  animal 
life.     But  it  has  also  undoubtedly  become  confused  with,  or 
modified  by,  that  other  general  theory  of  the  Wise  Men  con- 
cerning the  disappearance  of  man  from  the  lowest  plane  of 
his   spiritual    life,   to   which   theory   reference   will   be   made 
further  on. 

This  is  suggested  as  a  most  natural  conclusion  for  the 
reason  that  the  doctrine  of  transmigration,  as  it  is  generally 
expounded  upon  the  earth  plane,  does  not  stop  with  the  ani- 
mal, but  also  includes  man.  That  is  to  say,  under  this  par- 
ticular form  of  that  doctrine  it  is  generally  held  that  the  soul 
of  man  also  may,  at  physical  death,  enter  the  physical  or- 
ganism of  an  animal,  and  that  such  an  act  is  not  necessarily 
a  retrograde  movement  on  the  part  of  the  intelligent  entity. 

A  still  further  corruption  of  the  original  theory  is  found 
in  the  doctrine,  or  assumption,  that  transmigration  always 
occurs  at  the  instant  of  physical  dissolution,  and  at  no  other 
time. 

2.  The  doctrine  of  Transubstantiation  is  doubtless  also 
referable  to  the  same  general  source.    Under  this  doctrine  the 
Catholic  Church  has  formulated  the  dogma  that,  in  their  cele- 
bration of  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  the  literal  sub- 
stance of  the  body  and  the  blood  of  Christ  enters    into    the 
bread  and  wine  used  in  the  sacramental  service. 

3.  The  doctrine  of  "Reincarnation,"  as  it  is  held  and  ad- 
vocated by  the  exponents  of  Theosophy  and  some  of  the  more 
ancient  philosophies,  is  but  another  phase  of  the  same  gen- 
eral hypothesis  applied  to  man  in  his  evolutionary  progress 
upon  the  spiritual  planes  of  life. 

The  various  exponents  of  this  doctrine  have  developed  a 


THE  GENESIS  OF  DOGMA 395 

most  clever  and  forcible  array  of  argument,  which  is  both 
interesting  and  instructive,  and  is  not  easily  avoided  by  those 
who  hold  to  a  different  theory.  It  may  not  be  improper  to 
state  in  this  connection  that  the  analogies  of  science  on  both 
planes  of  life  seem  to  support  it,  and  some  of  the  seeming 
mysteries  of  intellectual  inequality  among  men  appear  to  be 
accounted  for  by  it. 

Indeed,  there  are  intelligences  upon  the  spiritual  planes 
of  life  who  assert  with  unqualified  assurance  that  reincarna- 
tion is  a  fact  of  Nature.  There  are  also  a  few  upon  the  phys- 
ical plane  who  claim  to  have  fully  demonstrated  its  truth. 
But  whatever  the  fact  may  be,  it  is — at  least  to  the  great  ma- 
jority of  our  western  civilization — but  a  beautiful,  in- 
genious and  interesting  theory.  And  thus  it  will  remain,  so 
far  as  this  work  is  concerned. 

4.  On  the  purely  physical  plane  the  doctrine  of  the  phys- 
ical evolution  of  man  from  the  plane  of  animal  Nature  would 
seem  to  be  but  another  expression  of  the  same  general  hypoth- 
esis. The  search  for  the  "Missing  Link"  in  the  upward 
movement  of  organic,  physical  evolution  has  been  a  search 
made  upon  the  theory  that  man  is  but  an  ape  evolved. 

Upon  the  structural  side  of  organic,  physical  life,  more 
especially,  this  theory  is  strongly  supported  by  an  array  of 
scientific  data  which  no  student  of  Nature  can  afford  to  ig- 
nore. But  up  to  this  time  even  the  evolution  of  man's  phys- 
ical structure  from  that  of  the  animal  is  held,  by  able  expo- 
nents of  physical  science,  to  be  nothing  more  than  a  "working 
hypothesis." 

SECOND   HYPOTHESIS. 

The  second  general  hypothesis  of  the  Wise  Men  and  of 
Natural  Science  holds  that  the  disappearance  of  the  animal 
from  the  spiritual  plane  is,  indeed,  all  that  it  appears  to  be, 
namely,  total  disintegration,  dissolution  and  a  resolution  of 
the  animal  entity  back  into  Nature's  elements,  from  which  it 
came.  This,  of  course,  means  total  extinction  of  the  animal 
as  a  separate,  distinct  and  individualized  entity. 

At  first  view  this  hypothesis  would  appear  to  be  in  direct 
conflict  with  the  very  essence  of  the  evolutionary  principle. 
But  a  further  study  and  analysis  of  the  subject  show  that 
such  is  not  the  case,  as  the  following  suggestions  will  clearly 
indicate : 

The  facts  of  Nature  on  all  the  planes  of  life,  so  far  as 


396      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

the  Wise  Men  have  been  able  to  observe  them,  everywhere 
suggest  to  the  student  of  Natural  Science  the  operation  of 
what  appears  to  be  a  Universal  Intelligence.  The  forces,  ac- 
tivities and  processes  of  Nature,  as  far  as  we  are  able  to 
follow  their  workings,  appear  to  indicate  a  conformity  to 
universal  principles.  Back  of  these  seemingly  universal  prin- 
ciples the  human  intelligence  searches  in  vain  for  the  motive 
power  or  intelligence  which  formulates  and  operates  them. 

Notwithstanding  our  confessed  inability  to-  locate,  cir- 
cumscribe, define  or  identify  the  great  Universal  Intelligence 
which  inspires  and  guides  the  forces,  activities  and  processes 
of  Nature,  our  individual  intelligence  intuitively  recognizes 
its  existence  as  a  fundamental  fact. 

In  so  far  as  we  have  been  able  to  trace  the  history  of  man 
there  never  has  been  a  time  when  human  intelligence  has 
failed  to  sense  that  which  to  man  has  meant  a  Universal  In- 
telligence. Even  the  professed  disbeliever  betrays  his  intui- 
tive recognition  of  this  Universal  Intelligence  in  the  very  pro- 
fanity he  employs  to  emphasize  his  disbelief. 

Although  we  are  unable  to  locate,  circumscribe,  define  or 
identify  it,  we  all,  nevertheless,  have  a  name  for  it.  Some  call 
it  "God."  Others  designate  it  as  the  ''Father."  Some  name 
it  "Law."  Others  term  it  "Nature."  Some  there  are  who 
give  it  other  names.  Others  of  us  express  our  conception  of 
it  more  fully  in  the  term  "Universal  Intelligence." 

Under  this  second  general  hypothesis,  in  all  this  upward 
movement  of  Nature  we  name  "evolution,"  Universal  Intelli- 
gence is  engaged  in  the  process  of  individualizing  intelligence. 
The  one  object  or  purpose  of  this  individualizing  process,  as  it 
appears,  is  ultimately  to  evolve  an  order  of  intelligence  which 
shall  possess  the  knowledge  and  the  power  of  indefinite  self- 
perpetuation  which  is  known  to  science  as  Individual  Immor- 
tality. 

In  the  animal  organism  Nature  has  not  yet  reached  a  point 
in  the  evolutionary  process  where  the  entity  possesses  that 
power.  As  a  natural  result  the  animal  disappears  from  the 
spiritual  plane  of  animal  life  in  response  to  the  law  of  its 
being,  and,  if  the  hypothesis  be  true,  is  resolved  back  into 
Nature's  elements  from  which  it  came. 

If  this  be  true,  the  student  is  ready  to  ask,  What,  then,  is 
the  purpose  of  all  the  gradations  of  animal  life,  running  from 
the  amoeba  to  the  anthropoid  ape? 


THE  GENESIS  OF  DOGMA 397 

The  answer  in  brief  is,  that  in  all  tins  multiplicity  of 
animal  life,  running  through  all  its  varied  gradations,  from 
the  lowest  to  the  highest,  we  see  only  the  mechanics  of  a 
stupendous  plan  by  and  through  which  Universal  Intelli- 
gence refines  and  raises  the  vibratory  activity  of  matter  on 
both  planes  of  life,  until  it  is  capable  of  co-ordination  with  the 
Soul  Element  of  Nature,  which  is  individualized  in  man  alone. 

For  a  full  consideration  of  the  principle  and  process  in- 
volved in  the  upward  movement  of  evolution  through  all  the 
kingdoms  of  Nature,  the  reader  is  referred  to  "Harmonics  of 
Evolution,"  Vol.  I  of  the  Harmonic  Series,  Chapter  VI. 

In  the  chapter  referred  to,  under  the  heading  of  "The 
Genesis  of  Physical  Life,"  the  facts  of  Natural  Science  which 
have  a  direct  bearing  upon  this  hypothesis  are  given  with 
such  clearness  and  detail  that  the  reader  cannot  fail  to  grasp 
their  significance  and  appreciate  their  scientific  value. 

THIRD  HYPOTHESIS. 

In  Part  II  of  this  volume,  Chapter  IV,  paragraphs  19  to 
22,  inclusive,  under  the  head  of  "Facts  Demonstrated,"  it  is 
stated  that  man  disappears  from  the  lowest  plane  of  his  spir- 
itual life  by  either  one  of  two  different  processes,  and  in  re- 
sponse to  the  operation  of  two  different  and  opposite  princi- 
ples, viz. : 

1.  Under  the  constructive  principle  and  process  of  evolu- 
tion, growth,  development  and  progress,  only  to  appear  upon 

'a  higher  plane,  etc. 

2.  Under  the  opposite  principle  and  process  of  destruc- 
tion or  devolution  he  also  disappears  in  a  manner  which  cor- 
responds, in  every  essential  particular,  with  the  disappearance 
of  the  animal. 

It  is  also  stated  that  in  this  second  case  he  does  not  reap- 
pear (at  least  in  identical  or  distinguishable  form),  upon 
any  of  the  higher  planes  of  spiritual  life  which  are  distinc- 
tively related  to  this  particular  planet. 

The  question  of  his  destiny  as  an  individual  intelligence 
in  this  case  is  a  matter  of  even  more  absorbing  and  vital  in- 
terest to  those  who  have  undertaken  its  solution,  than  is  the 
destiny  of  the  animal. 

But  here  again  Nature  seems  to  hold  a  secret  which  defies 
the  detective  powers  of  the  wisest  intelligences  of  both  planes 


398      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

of  life.  No  satisfactory  solution  of  the  great  problem  has 
yet  been  wrought  out. 

It  is  true,  however,  that  many  facts  bearing  upon  various 
phases  of  the  subject  are  known,  and  a  vast  amount  of  data 
has  been  accumulated.  Indeed,  it  would  doubtless  be  a  mat- 
ter of  interest  and  profound  wonderment  to  those  who  are 
not  already  familiar  with  the  subject  to  follow  the  lines  of  in- 
vestigation and  examine  the  facts  and  the  data  that  have  been 
gathered  and  classified.  The  limitations  of  this  work,  how- 
ever, forbid  the  opening  of  so  vast  a  field  of  speculative  in- 
terest. 

Nevertheless,  it  is  both  relevant  and  proper  to  note  briefly 
the  fact  that  here  also  two  working  hypotheses  or  theories 
have  been  formulated,  and  that  the  facts  and  the  data  above 
referred  to  bear  more  or  less  directly  upon  the  one  or  the 
other. 

The  first  of  these  holds  that  man  may,  of  his  own  voli- 
tion, pursue  a  deliberate  course  of  retrogression  in  conformity 
with  the  Destructive  Principle  of  Nature  in  Individual  Life, 
until  he  reaches  that  point  in  the  downward  path  toward  spir- 
itual darkness,  where  he  disappears  as  does  the  animal.  But, 
according  to  the  theory  here  under  consideration,  this  fact 
does  not  necessarily  involve  his  individual  extinction  or  dis- 
solution as  an  individual  intelligence  or  entity.  On  the  other 
hand,  it  is  held  that  he  simply  falls  below  the  point  of  co- 
ordination with  the  Soul  Element  of  Nature,  thereby  loses 
his  independent,  self-conscious  and  rational  volition,  and  re- 
verts to  the  plane  of  animal  life. 

Here  he  begins  again  the  evolutionary  struggle  under  the 
guiding  wisdom  and  power  of  Universal  Intelligence,  until 
once  again  he  reaches  the  plane  of  human  life.  Here  he  again 
co-ordinates  with  the  Soul  Element  of  Nature,  is  reinvested 
with  an  independent,  self-conscious  and  rational  volition  and 
given  another  opportunity  to  choose  between  the  two  alterna- 
tives of  evolutionary  progress  on  the  one  hand  or  devolution- 
ary  retrogression  on  the  other.  It  is  still  within  his  power 
to  choose  the  downward  path.  If  so,  and  he  persists  in  that 
choice,  he  must  again  descend  to  the  plane  of  animal  life  and 
begin  anew  the  evolutionary  struggle  under  the  guiding  direc- 
tion of  Universal  Intelligence. 

This  process  is  supposed  to  be  repeated  as  often  as  may  be 
necessary  to  develop  in  him  the  natural  desire  for  the  higher 


THE  GENESIS  OF  DOGMA 399 

life,  after  which  he  proceeds  of  his  own  voluntary  choice  on 
the  upward  course  of  individual  self-development  to  that  celes- 
tial destiny  of  individual  attainment  and  power  which  lies  be- 
yond the  limits  of  our  present  understanding. 

FOURTH  HYPOTHESIS. 

The  opposite  hypothesis  holds  that  no  matter  from  what 
heights  man  may  descend,  if  he  persist  in  his  downward  flight 
until  he  loses  his  independent,  self-conscious  and  rational  voli- 
tion, under  the  law  of  his  being  he  thereby  forever  forfeits  the 
power  of  self-perpetuation  and  Individual  Immortality. 

In  this  case  his  disappearance  from  the  spiritual  plane 
means  to  him  precisely  what  it  means  to  the  animal  under  the 
Second  Hypothesis,  namely,  disintegration,  dissolution,  indi- 
vidual extinction  and  a  resolution  back  into  Nature's  elements 
from  which  he  came. 

This  fourth  general  hypothesis  of  Natural  Science  is 
deeply  interesting  in  itself.  But  it  becomes  doubly  so  when 
considered  in  the  light  of  theological  dogmatism  concerning 
the  extreme  penalty  for  sin. 

It  is  well  known  that  theologians  widely  differ  in  their 
views  concerning  the  ultimate  destiny  of  the  persistent  sinner. 
Their  differences  hinge,  in  a  general  way,  upon  their  various 
understandings  and  conceptions  of  man's  immortality. 

Without  taking  into  account  the  intermediate  shadings, 
there  are  two  general,  theological  dogmas  concerning  the  im- 
mortality of  the  Soul,  which,  briefly  stated,  are  as  follows : 

1.  That   man   is   inherently,   intrinsically  and   essentially 
immortal.      That   he   is   so   created.      That   immortality   is   a 
primary  and  essential  property  or  characteristic  of  his  indi- 
vidual being.     That  whether  saved  or  lost,  in    a    religious 
sense,  he  is  in  either  event  immortal  and  therefore  can  never 
die  nor  lose  his  individuality. 

From  this  particular  conception  of  the  soul's  immortality 
naturally  follows  the  doctrine  of  eternal  happiness  for  the 
saved,  and  never  ending  torture  for  the  damned. 

2.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  held  that  the  soul  is  not  in- 
herently and  essentially  immortal,  but  that  it  may  become  so 
by  conforming  to  the  law  of  God — or  Nature — upon  which 
individual  immortality  depends. 

In  other  words,  under  this  theological  conception  man's 
immortality  comes  to  him  as  the  gift  of  God.  It  is  the  reward 


400       THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

of  his  obedience  to  God's  commands.  Or,  from  the  phil- 
osophic standpoint,  it  comes  to  him  as  the  natural  result  of 
his  own  personal  effort.  It  is  the  logical  and  necessary  result 
of  his  obedience  to  the  constructive  principle  of  Nature  which 
is  the  law  of  individual  life. 

From  this  conception  of  the  soul's  immortality  it  follows 
that  the  man  who  does  not  earn  it,  or  who  does  not  receive  it 
as  a  gift  from  God,  is  necessarily  a  mere  mortal  and  nothing 
more.  In  this  case  when  death  overtakes  him  he  goes  down 
to  the  grave,  is  eaten  by  the  worms  of  the  earth,  his  spirit  as 
well  as  his  body  is  resolved  back  into  Nature's  elements,  and 
he  perishes  forever. 

In  this  view  of  the  subject,  "The  Wages  of  Sin  is  Death," 
and  death  in  this  case  means  total,  individual  extinction. 

In  closing  this  chapter  the  reader  is  once  more  reminded 
that  it  is  a  chapter  of  "theories"  only.  In  it  four  general 
hypotheses  have  been  briefly  but  carefully  stated.  They  are 
presented  without  comment  for  what  they  may  be  worth.  No 
attempt  has  been  made  to  prejudice  the  mind  in  favor  of 
or  against  any  of  them.  On  the  contrary,  it  is  suggested  that 
even  those  who  have  at  command  all  the  facts  and  all  the  data 
thus  far  accumulated  bearing  upon  the  subject  are  still  with- 
holding judgment. 

These  four  theories  are  here  presented  merely  as  a  sug- 
gestion concerning  the  particular  lines  of  thought  and  inquiry 
which  have  engaged  the  attention  of  those  students  of  Natural 
Science  who  have  endeavored  to  solve  the  great  and  absorb- 
ing problem  of  the  ultimate  destiny  of  animal  and  degenerate 
human  life  and  intelligence. 

About  these  four  theories  cluster  an  almost  endless  num- 
ber of  religious  and  philosophic  speculations,  opinions  and 
beliefs  which  have  occupied  the  minds  of  theologians  and 
laymen,  physical  scientists  and  their  students,  philosophers 
and  thinkers  all  down  the  ages,  so  far  as  we  are  able  to  fol- 
low the  authentic  history  of  civilization. 

A  few  of  the  more  conspicuous  of  these  innumerable  opin- 
ions and  beliefs  have  also  been  stated,  and  their  relation  to 
the  fundamental  hypotheses  of  Natural  Science  suggested. 
These,  it  is  hoped,  will  be  of  value,  in  that  they  may,  in  some 
measure,  lead  to  a  clearer  understanding  and  appreciation  of 
the  manner  in  which  a  perfectly  legitimate  scientific  hypothe- 


THE  GENESIS  OF  DOGMA 401 

sis  may  be  made  the  basis  of  innumerable  religious  dogmas 
and  philosophic  speculations  which  only  serve  to  confuse  the 
minds  and  warp  the  lives  of  the  unscientific  and  the  ignorant. 

IN  CONCLUSION. 

The  author  desires  to  say  that  the  central  purpose  of  this 
volume  has  been  merely  to  erect  guide-posts  at  the  crossings 
and  the  partings  of  the  ways  which  lead,  upon  the  one  hand, 
to  Life,  Light,  Liberty  and  Immortality,  and  upon  the  other 
to  Bondage,  Darkness,  Disintegration  and  Death. 

It  is  intended  only  as  an  exposition  of  that  which  we 
escape  by  the  power  and  the  exercise  of  an  intelligent  Self- 
Control  over  the  individual  life. 

Another  volume  will  be  given  to  the  more  inspiring  theme 
of  individual  achievement  under  and  in  accordance  with  the 
same  principle  of  Self-Control,  the  principle  of  MASTERSHIP 
in  Individual  Life. 

END  OF  VOL.  II. 


40-2      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 


Editor's  Postscript 


THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME  stands  for  a  definite 
knowledge  and  a  definite  personal  experiment,  experience  and 
demonstration,  or  it  stands  for  nothing,  and  is  of  less  value 
than  its  material  make-up. 

The  subject  matter  of  this  volume  and  the  ethics  involved 
have  a  basis  in  Nature,  in  specific  fact,  in  a  definite  school  of 
learning  and  in  an  exact  science,  or  the  work  as  a  whole  is  but 
the  play  of  an  unchained  imagination  and  evidence  of  a  de- 
ficient moral  sense. 

When  an  author  passes  from  the  familiar  field  of  mere 
theory  and  speculation  into  the  domain  of  unqualified  state- 
ment, he  places  himself  in  a  new  relation  to  his  audience,  and 
is  entitled  to  a  different  character  of  attention  and  investiga- 
tion— assuming,  of  course,  that  he  expresses  himself  in  con- 
formity with  our  common  standards  of  sanity  and  good  litera- 
ture. 

It  is  one  of  the  mysteries  of  the  human  mind  that  the  world, 
generally  speaking,  treats  the  theorist  with  far  greater  hospi- 
tality than  it  does  the  demonstrator.  This  is  particularly  true 
in  that  field  we  have  come  to  designate  as  "Psychical  Re- 
search." More  popular  credence  has  been  given  to  a  mere 
"working  hypothesis"  recently  formulated  by  a  voluminous 
theorist  concerning  the  "Law  of  Psychic  Phenomena"  than  to 
the  accumulated  and  combined  statements  of  thousands  of 
honest  psychics  who  for  many  years  have  proclaimed  a  per- 
sonal demonstration  of  the  continuity  of  individual  life. 

The  theorist,  however,  has  his  place  and  his  mission. 
Though  he  more  frequently  serves  merely  as  a  guide-post  to 
the  wrong  direction,  it  sometimes  occurs  that  the  dreamer  or 
speculator  is  the  forerunner  and  prophet  of  the  real  scientist 
and  the  actual  demonstrator. 

The  world  is  debtor  to  whomsoever  passes  on  a  really 
original  idea  or  concept  or  plan  that  appears  feasible,  but  when 
a  man  claims  to  have  conducted  a  successful  experiment,  or  to 
have  made  a  personal  demonstration,  or  to  have  gained  an  un- 
usual knowledge — bearing  upon  questions  vital  to  human  des- 


EDITOR'S  POSTSCRIPT 403 

tiny — he  is  entitled  to  a  critical  investigation  by  the  best  in- 
telligence of  his  day,  by  the  recognized  schools  of  science  and 
by  the  conservators  of  public  morals.- 


Fifty  years  ago,  when  Bulwer's  masterpieces,  "Zanoni" 
and  "A  Strange  Story,"  appeared,  they  were  accepted  at  their 
face  value  by  his  conventional  world;  that  is  to  say,  as  weird 
fiction,  having  no  higher  purpose  than  to  exploit  their  author's 
genius,  and  no  deeper  meanings  than  to  furnish  entertainment 
for  mere  lovers  of  romance. 

It  was  neither  perceived  nor  suspected  that  Bulwer  had 
received  a  personal  instruction,  and  had  achieved  a  peculiar 
knowledge  that  inspired  his  powerful  and  picturesque  pen  to 
a  character  of  literature  that  has  not  ceased  to  puzzle  and 
delight  his  readers. 

The  real  purposes  and  the  real  meanings  which  run 
through  these  works  are  clearly  discernible  to  another  of  the 
same  school.  To  another  of  that  "August  Fraternity"  of 
whom  that  scholarly  Englishman  so  reverently  wrote,  the 
common  Alma  Mater  is  vividly  disclosed  by  a  familiar  code 
of  sign,  symbol  and  principle.  Another  of  the  same  instruc- 
tion knows  to  a  certainty  the  work  of  the  Entered  Apprentice. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  these  two  singular  romances  are  care- 
fully veiled  expositions  of  the  two  oldest  and  most  powerful 
centers  of  spiritual  knowledge  extant.  They  are,  indeed,  rev- 
elations of  the  loftiest  pursuits  and  the  most  malign  practices 
known  to  human  intelligence. 

Were  there  no  other  material  evidence  in  existence  than 
these  two  volumes  themselves,  the  record  of  Bulwer's  school- 
ing is  indisputably  bound  up  in  his  works.  To  those  who 
have  the  key  these  marvelous  romances  stand  for  true  spirit- 
ual development  and  for  hypnotic  subjection,  for  Light  and 
for  Darkness — for  India  and  fof  Egypt. 


After  fifty  years  another  attempt  is  being  made,  less 
guarded,  perhaps,  but  more  definite,  to  throw  additional  light 
upon  the  same  general  subject. 

While  the  world  of  liberal  thought  has  enlarged  its  bor- 
ders since  Bulwer  wrote,  there  still  remain  almost  insurmount- 


404      THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME 

able  obstacles  in  the  path  of  those  who  have  been  privileged 
to  learn  and  are  willing  to  share  their  gains  with  the  world. 
Fifty  years  ago  a  dogmatic  theology  and  the  limited  data  of 
physical  science  barred  the  way  to  any  rational  public  con- 
sideration of  psychic  phenomena,  or  of  published  personal 
experiences  and  demonstrations  in  this  particular  field.  At 
that  time  no  properly  instructed  student  of  Natural  Science 
could  have  delivered  his  message  to  an  Anglo-Saxon  audience 
except  under  skilful  disguise. 

Even  to-day,  with  its  broadened  outlook,  any  adequate 
published  exposition  of  the  knowledge,  methods  and  purposes 
of  the  great  Spiritual  School  must  encounter  many  perplexi- 
ties. 

While  religious  intolerance  is  less,  individual  skepticism 
has  increased,  and  it  would  almost  appear  as  if  the  old  dog- 
matic spirit  of  theology  had  transmigrated  to  the  vigorous 
and  enlarged  body  of  physical  science. 

Still  other  conditions  shadow  this  specific  educational 
movement,  conditions  which  furnish  more  problems  than  mere 
indifference  or  skepticism  or  dogmatism. 

When,  by  concerted  effort,  the  silent,  unseen  forces  set  in 
motion  this  New  Thought  wave,  there  was  at  the  same  time 
made  the  condition  and  the  opportunity  for  bringing  to  the 
surface  all  the  debris  of  the  deeps.  Just  as  the  troubled  ocean 
casts  its  driftwood  and  seaweed  to  the  surface,  so  this  pro- 
found psychical  impulse  has  called  to  the  social  surface  such 
a  company  of  "inspired  revelators"  and  "seers"  and  "proph- 
ets" and  "Messiahs,"  and  such  an  array  of  metaphysical 
"cults,"  "orders"  and  "movements,"  as  to  threaten  obscura- 
tion of  the  actual  science  and  philosophy  of  the  real  powers 
whose  directing  intelligence  gave  the  initial  impulse. 

The  one  imminent  and  embarrassing  possibility  that  sug- 
gests itself  with  every  public  utterance  or  publication  of  the 
School  of  Natural  Science  is  that  its  aims  and  purposes  are 
likely  to  be  confused  with  the  manifold  claims  of  "inspired" 
leaders,  or  with  the  unintelligible  ecstasies  of  professional 
"mystics,"  or  with  the  commercial  crusades  of  therapeutical 
theologies. 

The  work  in  view,  of  which  the  Harmonic  Series  is  a  part, 
is  none  of  these.  The  gradual  development  of  the  science 
and  philosophy  of  this  series  does  not  rest  upon  claims  of  "in- 


EDITOR'S  POSTSCRIPT 405 

spiration."  This  work  is  not  in  the  material  interests  of  any 
individual  or  organization.  The  School  of  Natural  Science 
is  not  conducting  an  ambitious  "movement,"  nor  operating  a 
commercial  cult.  It  is  not  soliciting  a  material  support  on  be- 
half of  any  "advanced"  project.  It  is  not  selling  instruction, 
nor  seeking  any  character  of  personal  leadership.  It  does  not 
anticipate  great  popular  interest  nor  an  undue  share  of  public 
attention  and  favor. 


It  has  been  just  twenty  years  since  the  inception  of  this 
work'  in  this  country,  and  all  this  time  has  been  consumed  by 
the  author  of  this  volume  in  overcoming  the  perplexities  and 
prejudices  and  materialities  that  have  barred  the  way  to  a 
direct  public  or  published  presentation  of  his  individual  work. 

The  Harmonic  Series,  now  in  process  of  publication,  is 
intended  as  a  bridge  between  the  definite,  demonstrated  and 
recorded  data  of  the  historical  Spiritual  School  of  Science  and 
the  definite,  discovered  and  published  data  of  the  modern 
physical  school. 

When  completed  this  Series  will  constitute  The  Philosophy 
of  Individual  Life,  as  taught  to-day  by  the  School  of  Nat- 
ural Science  in  conformity  with  all  of  the  demonstrated 
knowledge  of  all  the  schools. 

While  the  Series,  as  a  whole,  will  represent  a  joint  literary 
task,  it  is  not,  however,  a  work  of  collaboration,  as  each  vol- 
ume of  the  Series  will  represent  the  individuality  of  its  par- 
ticular author  and  maintain  its  distinction  of  theme,  scope 
and  literary  treatment. 

In  this  particular  instance  the  editor  has  no  other  part  in 
THE  GREAT  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRIME  than  merely  to  relieve  the 
author  of  all  details  of  publication  and  preserve  the  continuity 
and  relationship  of  the  two  published  volumes  of  the  Har- 
monic Series. 

March,  1903.  THE  EDITOR. 


L-A.  Literature 


THE  HARMONIC  SERIES. 

In  process  of  publication — A  modern  demon- 
stration of  ancient  spiritual  science. 

The  exact  science  and  moral  philosophy  of  the 
School  of  Natural  Science — an  adaptation  to 
western  thought  and  expression  by  western  in- 
telligence— and  in  conformity  to  the  rational 
methods  of  modern  science. 

Harmonics  of  Evolution Volume    I 

by  Florence  Huntley,  author  of  "  The 

Dream  Child." 

The  Great  Psychological  Crime.  .  .  .Volume  II 
Florence  Huntley,  Editor. 


INDO-AMERICAN  BOOK  CO. 

Harmonics  of  Evolution,  best  cloth,  460 
pages,  postpaid  net $2.00 

The  Great  Psychological  Crime,  best  cloth, 
400  pages,  postpaid,  net _ 2.00 

The  Dream  Child,  best  cloth,  postpaid,  net . .     .75 


THE  LIBERALISTS'  LIBRARY. 

Dept.  I.  The  Harmonic  Series  and  corrobor- 
ative literature. 

Dept.  II.  Representative  works  of  current 
metaphysical  movements. 

Dept.  III.     Unclassified  progressive  literature. 


For  terms,  Club  discounts,  Individual  orders 
and  Library  lists,  address, 

INDO-AMERICAN  BOOK  CO. 

Chicago,  111. 

Remit  by  P.  O.  or  Express  Money  Order  or 
Bank  Draft. 


32  681 


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